


Deny All You Want

by ObsidiackLeowoethz



Category: Naruto
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Denial of Feelings, Everyone Is Alive, F/M, Fluff and Angst, Gay, Gen, M/M, Male Homosexuality, Pride, References to Depression, Self-Denial, Slow Burn, Time Travel, Time Travel Fix-It, Uchiha Madara-centric
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-08-09
Updated: 2019-10-20
Packaged: 2020-08-13 14:29:20
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 11
Words: 24,967
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20175799
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ObsidiackLeowoethz/pseuds/ObsidiackLeowoethz
Summary: Uchiha Madara died thrice. The first time at the Valley of the End, second time when he disconnected at the Gedo and then lastly when he died during the Fourth Shinobi World War.OrWhen Madara found himself back in time when Hashirama was the first Hokage and he found himself falling in love with Tobirama. This is twisted for him. Slow burn





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> There are no gays mentioned in the Naruto series. Madara being attracted to a fellow man is highly amusing.

Dying sounded peaceful. He died thrice. The first one was during the battle at the Valley of the End when Hashirama stabbed him behind. He remembered it with clarity how the painful sting of the blade wounded his heart. The fresh blood that oozed from it didn’t deter him from biting a portion of Hashirama’s flesh. He revived himself by installing Izanagi in his right eye in exchange for its light. He woke up from that death, creating a shadow clone, fooling even the likes of Tobirama. All alone for nearly a century, he awakened the Rinnegan before implanting it into the sockets of the young Nagato. How he manipulated Obito by killing Rin turned the wave of fate in his favor, dying for the second time with the assurance that Obito will do his deed. In fact, Obito did his part but his pawn managed to outsmart him temporarily before he outsmarted the brat in return, only to be further manipulated by what he believed to be a remnant of his will, Black Zetsu. How his body morphed, expanded, enlarged by forcefully absorbing the chakra of the world. His lower torso ripped, his body becoming huge until it shrank, serving as a vessel for the Progenitor of all chakra, Kaguya. Her will manipulated him from the start. He realised his errs after being blinded by a frivolous ambition. Before his third death, he managed to reconcile with his childhood friend, finally ending their feud with the Senju forgiving him despite all the mistakes he had done. And this was how he found himself in a village, a newly built Konoha, more than a century in the past.  
He didn’t know what happened. He knew he died and he found himself here, in the peaceful forests of the newly built Konoha.

Two days ago, he heard Tobirama insisting to Hashirama that he must not choose Madara, him, to be Hokage and that the decision of being the village’s leader must fall on the votes of the villagers themselves. Not that he would care, he let go of his resentment. He always knew Tobirama to be a suspicious individual. The younger Senju’s suspicions grew when he began to act oddly around Hashirama which made Madara curse himself for his recklessness. 

Contemplating his state, Madara sat down near the tree. The weather was warm, the wind blew the fringes from his face exposing his serene but almost disturbed look. Genjutsu, he tried to break to no avail. Time travel, his concluded. Stranger things had happened in the past. This was nothing new. More than a century of living in his previous life, Madara was exposed to different kinds of jutsu, determining them swiftly enough to initiate a counterattack.

After Hashirama’s forgiveness, fate is too cruel. A mockery of some sorts, he was thrusted into this time period, perhaps giving him hints to fix the mistakes he had done. Second chances, they say. This is torment. This time however, he won’t interfere. He’ll let Hashirama do his thing, along with Tobirama. Leaving the village would be a fine idea but that would raise more suspicions. Black Zetsu is another thing, surveying the Uchiha and the Senju, trying to have them fight one another for the purpose of reviving Kaguya. All this time he was a pawn of this beings schemes.

However, in this alternate timeline, alternate universe or whatever this world was, the Hashirama in this world is not his Hashirama, the Uchiha not his own Uchiha. But aspects of it conflicted him. Different incarnations but the same personality. Will it eventually lead to the same fate?

Standing up from his position, Madara left the forest. He needed sake now.  
No one would expect Madara to be a drinker or so they thought. The Uchiha wasn’t one in the slightest. He doesn’t drink at all as he is not a fan of alcohol but the beverage has it uses. Madara was in a tavern, empty bottles of sake stood on his front. Earlier, he arrived to the surprise of the people, looking at him up and down. When he glared at them, they squirmed giving him his way.

_“Give me something to forget”, he demanded. The bartender only gulped before he was interrupted once again. “The strongest”._

Madara downed bottle by bottle, never caring about anything else. Opinions of the people, Tobirama’s suspicions, his clan, it doesn’t matter. Setting down the current bottle with a loud tap on the table catching the surprise of some of the customers, Madara rested his head on the palms of his hands. Face flushed, he remembered how Izuna was killed. He burned the memory in his head by forcing it to burn in flames. Shaking his head, he motioned the bartender with his hand to give him something more.

“Fifteen”, he muttered.

The bartender looked at him with pity. This person, drank too much. Eight bottles, that’s impossible. If this man wasn’t a shinobi, he’d surely die. The bartender was about to protest but the glare Madara gave him made him squirm. Without further ado, he shoved fifteen bottles on the table. Madara wasted no time drinking it recklessly.

He failed in saving Izuna, failed in bringing peace to the world. He only brought harm to it. Bottle by bottle he drank until he felt weak. He wasn’t one for self pity but it seems the alcohol brought out the suppressed emotions on the surface. Putting a hand on his face, tears of bitter regret poured.

Wanting to leave, he threw a wad of cash on the table which the startled bartender looked at indicating it was too much. Madara staggered on his way, balance not proper as he walked swaying. 

It was already night when he came out. Konoha was dark, with a few lights illuminating the streets. He saw Tobirama in the distance making him temporarily break out of his drunken stupor. Before the Senju could sense him, he swiftly made his way into a dark alley, whose exit lead to a more deserted location. Despite being drunk and walking swaying, he still had the speed of running. He ran going to the deserted location, with him falling flat to the ground. He groaned in pain. He forced himself to get up, standing once again and swaying.  
He made his way into the forests once again, lamenting his existence. This is not what he wanted. He sat near a tree until unconsciousness took him.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Madara was drunk from the previous night.

Madara clashed with Hashirama, locking their blades with each other. War happened as usual. The battlefield was littered with the corpses from opposing sides before Madara’s eyes drifted to his brother. His brother was battling Tobirama. Izuna spewed a Fire Release, with Tobirama countering it with his own Water Release.

Water met fire creating a large fume of smoke, shielding Madara’s eyes. It was strange as if he was now on Izuna’s side, clearly seeing how Tobirama used the Flying Raijin to deliver a fatal stab wound.   
Izuna coughed blood, eyes jerking in realization that he was doomed. Madara reached out, calling Izuna’s name frantically until Black Zetsu’s face appeared on Izuna’s face. The being grinned before Madara jolted awake from his resting place.

It was still night, the wind blew in an eerie setting which made Madara’s body shiver in terror. His head ached from alcohol he drank. A warm feeling emanated from his stomach, fully rising from his mouth. He vomited. Liquids of sake with rice invaded his nostrils. It was disgusting, with his vomit spraying on his clothing.

Madara panted. His anxiety made his heart rate increase further. It didn’t help with his current condition. Hungover, his muscles further ached with tiredness.

No one should see him like this so he forced himself to stand up. He used the tree as a support until he was upright. He walked slowly going to the direction of the compound. He was thankful no one saw him of his pitiful state. He doesn’t want Hashirama to ask him questions, with Tobirama complicating it further. Not to mention, the younger Senju was responsible for Izuna’s death. He still couldn’t forgive the man for doing that to his brother. Let alone mad at himself for not making peace with the Senju earlier. He couldn’t save his brother, not even with his Rinnegan. It didn’t cross his mind for he was blinded by a false dream that he became an unknowing puppet pulled by a false will.

The Uchiha District were silent, houses so dark that one could mistook them as abandoned. Madara entered into his humble abode where he stripped and washed himself quickly before changing into a simple yukata. A bath would be later. He washed his vomit stained clothes at this hour absent-mindedly.   
He thought of the time that he was betrayed. His dream crushed, only to be awoken by reality that Hashirama’s dream was superior in regards to his. How that dream continued to live on for generations with each Shinobi believing in the Will of Fire.

He should be dead at this point. How he landed here was unknown. Was it the workings of the Sage of the Six Paths for a second chance? Changing things here would do him no good. His work was done. Despite being co-founder of Konohagakure, this wasn’t his village. It will always be Hashirama’s not him. He even betrayed his clan in the past so he doesn’t deserve to be clan head this time. He ought to pass this on to Hikaku. He may be weaker than him but his strategic mind rivals Tobirama. He could do the job as a worthy replacement.   
He finally finished scrubbing off the vomit from his clothes. Ladened with disgust, instead of hanging off his clothes to dry he threw it away along with the wooden basin he used to wash his clothes off.   
He decided to take a bath. Lots of steam came out of the water where Madara stayed motionless. The water was relaxing. It had been a while. Centuries of staying in the Mountain’s Graveyard deprived him of such simple luxuries that he found himself missing it.

He retired for the night, slumbering, until he found himself in a dreamless sleep.

The next day, he found himself waking up one late noon. The sun was high at this point, leaving his entire room bright with sun. Sweat poured onto his skin, leaving a curse on his breath. He used his pillow to shield his eyes. The heat was too much. All he wanted was to rest, not bothering with some person knocking at his door. Great. He wanted to sleep. He ignored it. Drowsiness took him again.

The next time he woke again was two hours later. Another frantic knocking at the door. He ignored it again.The knocking grew louder with Madara jolting up. He removed the blankets. Whoever knocks will face his wrath.   
He walked, his head still pounding from the previous night. He slid open the door, startling the Uchiha outside.

“Madara-sama...”, he stammered. It was Hikaku. His normally fierce face was warped in worry and fear.

The clan head only narrowed his eyes. Before he could control his temper, angry words flew from his mouth. “What do you want?”

“You haven’t gotten out of your room. We’re just worried. The elders have been asking of your whereabouts. You clearly missed clan meetings starting from the time Hashirama-sama took office two days ago. Might the both of you have disagreements that we are unaware of?”.

Madara put a hand on his face. He wasn’t prepare to deal with this. This world was not his own. He should have died, only to be brought back to life to deal with these types of problems again. Composing himself, he replied.

“Since we’ve reached peace with the Senju, I realized there’s no point in being the head the clan. I... “

Hikaku widened his eyes. This couldn’t be happening. “But Madara-sama”.

A gesture of Madara’s hands indicating him to stop. Hikaku only gulped.

“Let me finish. Hashirama became the leader of this village through the votes of the villagers. The both of us didn’t have a disagreement nor a fight two days ago. I’m only contemplating of what I must do, which lead me to a decision to pass on the leadership of the clan towards a worthy person. That must be you”. Madara finished. So convincing just like that brat Naruto but nowhere near as flawless as the blond. 

Silence descended towards them. Hikaku didn’t expect those words to come out of Madara’s mouth. Had he given up?

“If you want a reason, I shall give you one. As I’ve stated earlier, we are at peace with the Senju. The village had been established, Hashirama was chosen. That fool would maintain peace. He may be naive, a fool but his philosophy would surely pass on to the next generation. As for me, supporting Konoha is enough. My era is over, it’s to bequeath them at the next generation. For that alone, I chose you. You have the qualities of a good leader. Tactical under pressure, able to convince people to change their paths, you have those. Tell the elders you are now the head. If they don’t follow your decision, I’ll put them in their place. Do I make myself clear?”

Madara didn’t wait for Hikaku to reply. He slid the door closed, entered into his covers and closed his eyes. It didn’t take long for rest, his mind wandering into a dreamless sleep.

No one knocked this time but Madara woke up, stomach rumbling from missing two meals. It was already late afternoon, around quarter to four. He had forgotten he didn’t have Hashirama’s cells that made him immune to thirst and hunger. He changed into a casual attire with no Uchiha clan crest printed on his back which appeared in the form of a simple black turtleneck, black pants and shinobi sandals. He needed a meal and some sake, plenty of sake. Off he ventured into that place, where no one disturbed him. Hashirama wouldn’t go into such a sketchy pub. Those drunkards who frequent that place were a lost cause. He is one of them.

* * *

“Why must I accompany you Anija? Your issues with him are not my own”, Tobirama argued, crossing his arms in slight annoyance. Though he had been suspicious as of late. Madara was behaving oddly. He didn’t see the man at all. Madara was actively avoiding them, even Hashirama.

“I’m concerned. At that time we were at the Hokage Rock. I promised him that he’d be Hokage. I couldn’t help but feel guilt at this”.

They were now walking at the Uchiha District, with some of the Uchiha bowing at them while others stepped out of their way. The sun dyed the surroundings orange. Hashirama looked on at the children playing which brought a smile on his face. Peace had been attained. There were no wars between their clans. The Shimura, Hyuuga, along with other powerful clans who shared his ideology settled in this village. If this continues, the world will know peace. They won’t have problems anymore.

“You made the right thing. This isn’t the Warring States period where one person chooses a leader without the opinions of many. This is a new era where people have some say on the matter, where people are free to enact their opinions without precaution. Stop fretting on him. We’ll know of his apparent reason other than this”, Tobirama replied, implying that Madara was upset that the hat went to Hashirama, not him or so he thought. He couldn’t sense Madara’s chakra which made his suspicions grew stronger. Was he up to something?

* * *

It was a good thing that Madara left the Uchiha District otherwise he’d run into the Senju brothers. He didn’t want that to happen. Once again he blamed himself of his failures. He avoided the crowd, instead choosing a desolate road going to that sketchy pub. It was a newly opened one. Immediately it attracted attention for its low prices of liquor, making it a haven for men seeking companionship with the women working there or just to drink their problems away.

He didn’t notice he bumped into someone.   
“Ow! Watch where you're going”.

This broke Madara on his musings. He looked behind him. A man... No... That face. That blond hair, those whisker marks, that torn jacket. How? Naruto was rubbing his head when he looked at the man who he bumped to.

“Ma.... Madara”. Eyes widened, those blue eyes widened. Immediately Naruto charged, with Madara easily evading it.

He didn’t bring a kunai with him, not expecting this sudden event. He jumped a few meters away, looking at Naruto with a narrowed glare.

“How are you here?”. He asked. This couldn't be. 

This only served to make Naruto’s teeth grit harder. “I should be the one asking you that”.

“No you don’t. This isn’t your time where Hashirama’s granddaughter is the Hokage. This isn’t your time where the world was trapped in the Infinite Tsukuyomi or this isn’t your time where you are the victor of the war I started”. Madara spat. There’s no way Naruto could have caused this mysterious phenomenon. More questions whose answers he didn’t find of.

“I know”, Naruto replied. “Kurama, he’s been asleep. I recalled I was fighting Sasuke. Our two strongest attacks collided. We... Wait...”, the blond paused. Only a hint of realization entered his brain. “You’re the Madara we fought”.

“Do we have another Madara here?”

“Unless we count the madara”.

“I’m not a fish!”

“Says the man who was named after a fish”. Naruto said in a deadpan manner.

Madara’s eye twitched in annoyance. This brat is infuriating, more so than Hashirama.   
“Well, with a hair like that, you certainly look like a fish”.

“I pity the child who was named by his parents after a fishcake”

“My name means maelstrom! And your hair is stupid”.

“You’re the one who’s stupid!”, Madara spat with so much vitriol.

The two brawled, completely forgetting their earlier hatred with one another. To another observer, they are like two immature adults, still spitting words with one another of various insults. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Naruto appears for reasons unknown. And now, he brawls with Madara. Those two idiots.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I didn't expect this fic would blow up with just two chapters. Thank you for your support readers. Have a great day.

_“I’m afraid Madara-sama had already left hours ago”, Hikaku said, eyeing Hashirama with worry. “It’s not only you who have noticed but the clan, too. He had been behaving strangely, sleeping inside his room without caring about us. He just passed on the clan leadership to me because he reasoned this is a new era and his services are no longer needed. I’m afraid there’s more to that”._

It was around three PM in the afternoon when they left the district. Hashirama walked with a sad look on his face. It’s not only them who witnessed Madara’s strange behavior but the Uchiha as well. The sun casted a shadow on Hashirama’s face, hair covering his eyes, thinking of what he had done wrong. A part of him blamed himself for promising Madara the Hokage position, only to be the Hokage instead of his friend due to the majority of the votes of the people.   
Tobirama was right though. This was no longer the era of warring states. This is a new future, and there is no place for a single person to just decide on matters using the heart. His logical mind, along with his emotional promise to Madara, were in conflict at the moment.

Tobirama just walked behind him, face scowling. His younger brother could sense the tension in his chakra as his brother is an adept sensor.

“He may be your friend but that doesn’t mean you have to blame yourself for what you did. You made the right decision so get over it, Anija”.

They were walking in the busy Konoha streets, with Hashirama insisting to gamble that day to relieve his mind of Madara even just a moment. He would talk with Madara tomorrow. He would go again at his home, to try see if he was still there. As the Hokage, he needed to ensure the well-being of every person in the village, including Madara as he was also a friend.

“I know, Tobirama”, Hashirama answered. “Maybe he just wanted some space. I’ll try going back there tomorrow. I can’t help but be worried. He had lost his brother in the war. Perhaps he’s still mourning. Not everyone could get over it so easily”.

Tobirama only sighed. He was the reason of Izuna’s death in the first place. This time however, he won’t be accompanying Hashirama tomorrow. “Fine. Just don’t drag me this time”.

This left a smile on Hashirama’s face.

* * *

“My name means speckles, you fishcake!”

“Speckles? Ha! I bet in your old age you’ll go bald!”

Madara’s eye twitched. Dirt and dried leaves were stuck in Madara’s hair while Naruto’s clothes were further torn apart, courtesy of Madara himself from their previous brawl.

Panting in frustration, Madara lunged again at Naruto with the blond doing the same thing. Debris flew everywhere where Naruto did a familiar hand sign, his shadow clone formed in existence. Three of them at the same time dodged Madara’s moves, while Madara just hit them making them poof. 

_“The stronger the opponent, the more this would work_”, Naruto thought. Grinning, he formed again some shadow clones, about twelve of them at once. Madara only returned that grin with his own. 

“My Sharingan allows me to identify which ones are clones and which ones are not. You won’t win against me”.

“Who says I’m using them to attack?”, Naruto grinned mischievously.

A chilling thought passed inside Madara’s head. Something was wrong.

“Sexy Technique: Harem Jutsu”. Naruto and his clones transformed into naked females, smoke merely covering their intimate parts.

In his long life of living, Madara had seen his fair share of strange jutsus, even creating counterattacks at them on the fly. But this jutsu, if one calls this a jutsu… using shadow clones transforming them into naked females. Tobirama would be enraged seeing his creation being used in such indecent manner. Madara stood there, Sharingan still whirled in existence observing those naked bodies. 

Naruto, seeing Madara distracted, used this opportunity to pop out his clones from existence, then swiftly threw a punch at the elder man. The punch connected at Madara’s jaw which made him stagger back.

“You’re one truly unpredictable shinobi, Naruto”, Madara smirked. “I must admit you caught me off guard with that”.

Naruto stood proud, returning that with a smile of his own. “The stronger the opponent, the more that jutsu works. I used that against Kaguya”.

Madara choked on his breath making Naruto laugh.

“I call it the Reverse Harem Jutsu”.

“I don’t want to know”.

For a moment, Naruto smiled until he remembered Madara… his enemy, standing in front of him behaving differently than before. Sasuke, he was fighting with his rival. How could he forget?

“Wait. You died. How were you here?”

This stopped the elder Uchiha from grinning, eyeing Naruto with a serious look. “That I do not know. A jinchuuriki won’t survive when their bijuu is extracted from them. I did die but I woke up here. In this time during the founding of Konoha where Hashirama and I agreed to ally our clans. He was made Hokage two days ago. How are you here?”

Naruto only had a solemn look on his face. He was in his three headed avatar with Sasuke’s Susanoo, their strongest attacks colliding until he found himself in this timeline for no reason.

“I don’t really know. I was fighting Sasuke in the Valley of the End. Our two strongest attacks collided. For no reason, I found myself in the exact same spot. I couldn’t sense Sasuke, Sakura-chan or Kakashi-sensei. At first I thought if Sasuke killed them, only to find out the Infinite Tsukuyomi undone, then seeing Old Man Second alive along with the First. Konoha looks so ancient, not the one I used to know. I thought I was in a genjutsu. I still cannot believe that I’m in a different time period”.

Naruto’s stomach growled in hunger which made the blond blush. He looked at Madara with a pleading look, only for the Uchiha to turn his back. “You owe me for this”.

* * *

The sketchy pub, the one Madara knows. He immediately ordered for twelve bottles of sake while Naruto just looked at him dryly.

“Is that your idea of a meal?”.

Madara blankly stared at the blond’s eyes before downing a drink. He greedily drank the same until he put the bottle on the table, slamming it loudly before exhaling to catch his breath. “What’s it to you? Just be thankful I’m giving you a free meal”.

“It’s not that”, Naruto exclaimed. The blond was surprised that this pub sells ramen. This one looked like the ones where Jiraiya went to. Wooden walls, women entertaining customers, people getting drunk to drown away their problems. “You’re not eating anything”.

“You have no reason to care. I plunged the world into a war only to discover I was being manipulated, only to be trusted into this time period where everyone was alive, where the clan still respects me. This world reminded me once again of my failure to protect Izuna. If I only made peace with the Senju early on, then my brother wouldn’t die”. Madara finished his first bottle, then his second only for Naruto to stop him by grasping his arm.

“Look. We aren’t friends. I don’t even know what’s going on but that doesn’t mean you have to give up. Maybe this is your second chance to set things right”.

Madara laughed, a bitter one. He swiped Naruto’s hand from his arm only to down his second drink, finishing it as if he was in a contest. “Initially I thought of that. But what? Black Zetsu is still out there. What purpose will I have to continue this life? Perhaps to be tormented again by my guilt. Look Naruto, you don’t know me. You don’t know the sorrow of losing a brother, of seeing your three younger brothers die when you were a child, of being forced into a battlefield, not even having a childhood. Wars happening, powerless to stop them, powerless to stop your loved ones from guilt. You’ll never understand because you never had a family in the first place”.

Those words stabbed Naruto in the core. What did he know of Madara? Nothing. He only knew him as the legendary leader of the Uchiha clan. The Uchiha who started a war with his friend. But that doesn’t mean Madara must give up. He may be an enemy but he’s changed for the better. Redeemed is the better word. Clenching his fists, he replied.

“Yes, you’re right. I never knew what it’s like to have a family. But it’s lonelier to never have one in the first place. Between the two of us, you’re luckier. Your brothers died at an early age but you got to experience of someone waiting for you. You experienced having a father, you experienced having a family. Your family, your clan, looking up to you, believing in you. They were there for you in all your sorrow, rage, pain, and happiness. Unlike me, who didn’t have anyone in the first place. Konoha ostracized me for having Kurama sealed inside of me. They threw me out from shops because in their eyes I was a monster. I didn’t know then that I was a jinchuuriki. Twelve long years I endured all their hate. But that didn’t stop me to continue on living. I failed the Academy three times because I couldn’t do the stupid Clone Jutsu. Even though I don’t have a family, I found people who became my family. I found friends who were there for me. They supported me wherever I go. So, even if I’m in this time period, I’m not going to give up. I still have to punch that bastard”.

That’s the longest Naruto had said. For a moment, Madara laughed, making Naruto baffled. Madara laughed so hard that tears were streaming down on his face. He calmed himself finally. Clearing his throat, he said

“You remind me of Hashirama. So naïve but you’re different. That time when we fought in the Valley of the End, he gave up on me. You on the other hand, won’t give up on Sasuke. Even in this strange situation, you still won’t give up, no matter how hopeless everything is”. 

“It’s because I made a promise. Everyone begged me to stop saving Sasuke as they believe he’s beyond irredeemable. Deep inside however, he still valued our friendship. He just denies it”. Naruto gazed at his broth, finally picking up his chopsticks and slurped his noodles.

Naruto was right. He must not give up. Shaking his head, he waved at the server, making a signal to give him some food. Inarizushi would be a good meal tonight. It’s been ages since he had one.

* * *

Madara was swaying with a scowling Naruto. The blond supported him as Madara swayed drunk. Despite Naruto’s insistence to stop drinking, the Uchiha was stubborn, downing all bottles. He reasoned that would be the last he’d drink so he’d just savor the moment. Everything was silent in the Uchiha District, with the occasional Uchiha passing by peering at them. Thankfully Madara told him to remove his forehead protector, otherwise Tobirama might suspect something. Seeing that man reminded the blond that Tobirama wasn't something to be trifled with. 

Finally reaching Madara’s house, Madara broke from his grasp, startling the blond. The Uchiha didn’t bother taking a shower, instead just laid flat on the ground. Sleep easily took the Uchiha from being too drunk. Naruto only sighed as he closed the door. He laid down a few inches away from Madara and closed his eyes. He didn’t have a choice at the moment. He had nowhere to go. He’ll do something tomorrow, ask Madara’s help of some space-time ninjutsu. Madara knows everything so he’d be a great help. Sleep easily took Naruto, snoring louder than usual.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Naruto managed to convince Madara to never give up. But still, Madara is stubborn and ended up downing those bottles of sake in one go.
> 
> Suspicions will ensue once Tobirama discovers the blond. His affiliation with Madara might be questioned. Stay tuned for more updates.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Madara doesn't care and is prideful to the point he won't ask for help. Still, there are times you must swallow it. Madara isn't one of those.

Madara jolted awake from his sleep by the loud pounding on his door. The sun’s rays were up this point, blinding him from its excessive light. He saw the blond snoring on the floor a few inches away from him, jacket torn, drool dripping from his mouth. He couldn’t make what Naruto was muttering but something along the lines of ramen and Sakura-chan were heard. Not that he would care.

He had an excessive hangover. Just like those previous days, he felt so sick but for some reason, this was the worse he had experienced. Perhaps the mixture of inarizushi and sake did not bode well inside his stomach. Still, the pounding didn’t stop. Having enough, he shouted.

“There are people slumbering. Go disturb someone else!”.

The pounding stopped which made the Uchiha sighed in relief. His sensor abilities were dulled at this point so he just made assumptions who was outside. Hikaku? Obviously. He needed a sleep now. As he was about to lie down once again, the pounding on the door repeated.

_‘Madara, ignore_’, he chanted. He didn’t move from his sleeping position.

The sleeping blond beside him started to open his eyes. Naruto groaned, covering his ears with his hands. “Who disturbs people early this morning?”. Voice laced with sleep, Naruto yawned.

Still tired and drowsy from his battle with Sasuke, Naruto was about to drift into slumber when he heard Madara’s footsteps heading to his door, sliding it with force that it startled him, bringing him back to reality.

“You meager people, get… “, Madara trailed off. His anger dissipated, seeing it was Hashirama with his brother outside. He wasn’t prepared for this.

Tobirama’s face scanned him for illicit activities that it sparked anger inside of him.

“Tobirama, I told you… “

“Silence anija. While I told you yesterday that I wouldn’t be going with you, I spoke of the truth. However, I sensed a large reservoir of chakra in this place”. Tobirama’s eye narrowed, steadily looking at Madara.

Madara wasn’t intimidated. Tobirama may have killed his brother but he was no way coward to allow this man to deliver suspicion in whatever he does. Well, he did a lot of suspicious things in the past, his previous life if he could call it previous.

Hashirama looked back and forth between the two of them before clearing his throat.

“Madara, we’re just worried. You haven’t shown yourself around the village for days. It’s just… “

“Save your breath Hashirama. Unless you have a proper reason to show yourselves here, I won’t be entertaining your presence. I have a lot of things to do than bother with your nosy butts”. He directed that look to Tobirama, indicating he was a nosy person.

“A lot of things to do… perhaps you mean activities that we need not know”. That comment alone by the younger Senju made Madara clench his fists. That Tobirama, if he was still infected with his hatred, he’d crush that Senju’s skull.

“You passed the title of clan head to Hikaku for no reason. You hide your presence constantly, disappearing until you could no longer be sensed by my range. Lastly, a large reservoir of chakra was sensed early this morning. And that direction was coming in your abode. Who’s with you?”

“That was me”, Naruto emerged from behind Madara. Clothes still tattered, with his face dirty. Fortunately, he didn’t wear his forehead protector. Madara looked at Naruto with his face blank before turning to look at Tobirama again.

The blond yawned, eyes still droopy. He really hated to have his sleep disturbed like this.

“What do you want? You’re disturbing people early this morning. Don’t you have better things to do?”. Naruto once again yawned, making Madara smirk inwardly. Naruto’s nonchalance and disrespectful tone as if he’s talking to some nobody made Tobirama’s face burn. 

“Early in the morning was a few hours ago. It’s nearing noon time”.

This brought Naruto to reality, making him realize who he was talking to. Silver hair, crimson eyes, three red marks, two on his cheek and one on his chin, wearing long sleeved black turtleneck along with simple black pants and shinobi sandals. He didn’t wear a happuri this time. Behind him was his elder brother, wearing the Hokage Hat and robe. His face was marred with worry. Naruto only gulped. He didn’t want to start a fight here.

“Old man… wait…”, he trailed off, causing Tobirama’s face to seethe in anger. He wasn’t prepared for this. A child who rivals his brother’s reserves and now his personality mirrors that of his sibling, not really, he was more of an idiot.

Madara couldn’t hold back anymore, he had a full blown laugh on this. Leave it to Naruto himself.

Seething in anger, he said. “I’m not here for jokes. I’m…”

Madara stopped laughing at this point. He shoved Naruto further behind him, returning Tobirama’s glare with his own. “He was born with incredible reserves of chakra. I thought this village accepts anyone who wants to join. Just because of his reserves makes him entitled to your unwarranted suspicions? Enough of this Tobirama. I’m fully aware of your hatred for me. The feeling is mutual. I still hate you for what you did to Izuna. Just be thankful I agreed on an alliance with your stupid brother”. All the rage he had came back at one piece. Before Hashirama could open his mouth, he walked past Tobirama, roughly bumping his shoulder purposefully. Naruto, not wanting to be a part of this fiasco, just followed the Uchiha.

“Tobirama, this is too much. You’re already out of line this time”. Hashirama looked at his brother with anger. Madara was his friend. He didn’t deserve to be treated like this.

“And what? Allow that child to harm the citizens? I’m just being… “

“Over the fewest of things you always put your suspicions in. The village was only created a few days ago. This is my dream, my dream with Madara. This is a place where children will no longer die needlessly, where they can live in peace. I’m aware of your suspicions with Madara. It’s normal. We’re at war back then. But now, we’re on an alliance, a permanent one. He didn’t have any brothers left. Let him live in peace, to consider this village as his own family”.

“I’m aware. I… “

“I don’t know what’s going on with Madara until he fully blurted it all out moments ago that he is still grieving. I’m… “

“That’s not the point here. He took in a fully dangerous person who we have no idea what he’s capable of”.

“Enough!”, Hashirama’s loud voice startled him. He didn’t see his elder brother this angry before. “I won’t tolerate this behavior of yours Tobirama. You may be my brother but you’re out of line this time. Let my friend grieve. Let that child stay. Didn’t you see his tattered clothes? The blood on his face? It was obvious that he was at war just like us. Until he does something that could harm the village, there’s no reason for interrogation”.

Hashirama turned his back on him, walking fast enough that he disappeared out of his sight. Between the two of them, Hashirama was an idealist while he was pragmatic. With well defined rules and laws, he believed that it could solve the worlds problems easily. At this point, there was no reason for arguing with his brother. He would just keep an eye on that blond and Madara before they could do some damage. Prevention is better than cure afterall. Tobirama had no recollection how long he was standing there. He did a hand sign, the Flying Thunder God Jutsu, teleporting him to his destination wherever it was.

* * *

Madara was seething in anger. First, those Senju barged in his house, disturbing his peaceful sleep. He wasn’t even doing anything. Wasn’t that Tobirama wanted? Not for him to be involved in the village? He gave him what he wanted. And now, with the emergence of Naruto, who was even loyal to Konoha in the first place, would be the receiver of such distrust? In the first place, he didn’t invite Naruto to his home. The blond just slept there because he had nowhere else to go. Not that he would care.

Said blond was following him, screaming at him. The onlookers cleared the way for the both of them, going to the side seeing his scowling expression. That place again, the sketchy pub, his haven. That familiar route seemingly welcomed him, the chirping of birds calming the rage inside him.

“I’ve been screaming at you for what seems to be eternity. Don’t tell me you’re going to drink again”

“Last I checked it wasn’t your business to intrude to my personal affairs”, Madara spat back.

“And then I’ll be the one to drag your sorry ass home after you get drunk? I’m not doing it again!”

“Who told you in the first place?”

“You!”

The two brawled, sending dirt flying everywhere. Punch, kick, they tackled each other to the ground like two immature adults. They screamed at each other until Madara had enough and got up. Naruto held him on his shoulder but the Uchiha shoved him backward until the blond fell down on his butt. At this situation Naruto’s stomach growled.

“I’m not asking you to feed me”, Naruto said haughtily.

“Says the one who asked for ramen yesterday”, Madara replied smirking.  
Growing embarrassed, Naruto grew silent with Madara walking to his destination. Madara halted his steps before facing Naruto again. “Aren’t you coming?”

“Wah… wait. What are you?”

“Let’s figure this thing out. The more you stay here, the more that Senju rages. You have your own problems to deal with and I have my own. How about we form an agreement? I’ll help you return to your friends with the condition you’ll let me do what I want to do”

“That seems fishy. I”

“It’s up to you. Either that Sasuke brat destroys your world or you stay here”

“Fine. I accept”

Triumph entered the Uchiha. “Now that’s a good boy there”

“I’m not a dog”. Madara just laughed at this. Naruto was really like Hashirama, just more of an idiot. His anger was gone, forgetting Tobirama for a moment.

Naruto slurped all the ramen with Madara drinking to his hearts content. Four bottles. Even with the massive hangover he had, this didn’t deter him from ordering more round of drinks. He wasn’t Uchiha Madara for nothing.

“Ahhh, I’m full”. Rubbing his belly, Naruto had a toothpick in his mouth, sticking out like some sort of cigarette. Madara just ate some rice and fish which the blond thought that Madara was so old fashioned and didn’t have any knowledge about food.

“I’m still wondering though, how can I come back? I have no knowledge about this space time ninjutsu”. Naruto had this lonely look in his eyes mixed with worry. He wanted to know what happened in his world.

Madara finished gulping the entire bottle of sake then put it on the table at his right. There were still six bottles left before he would order another.

“Space time ninjutsu is not that easy to learn. Take for instance the Hiraishin. The user enters in some dimension by using a unique formula linking it to a location where they already had a mark at that point and teleport there. The distance doesn’t matter as long the mark was placed in that scene. If we compare it in this situation, our situation, it means we teleported through time. Or rather time travel”.

Madara’s eyes were dulled at this point. This thing was so hard.

“I still don’t get it how it relates to the Hiraishin. I know it teleports but teleport…time”.

Madara’s eyebrow twitched. “You’re the winner of the idiot of the year award”.

“Hey! Just explain it easily”.

Madara sighed in annoyance before gulping another bottle. He’d loss his hair to this idiot of a brat. Putting the bottle on the table, he cleared his mouth first before speaking once again. “You’re here in this bar. You vanish then reappeared at the Hokage monument. In our case, we disappeared from the Fourth Shinobi World War. Then we reappeared at the founding of Konoha”.

A light bulb flickered inside Naruto’s skull, his eyes widened. “So that how was it”.

Madara suddenly had the urge to bump his head on the table. This blond is the God of Idiots. It’s too much. It makes him want to kill this brat.

“But still that doesn’t explain how you were here. I fought Sasuke at the Valley of the End. We used our two strongest attacks. A bright light engulfed me and I found myself here. You, on the other hand, died. If you died at that time, then that doesn’t explain how you are here. You don’t have the First’s face on your chest which means you don’t have the Rinnegan as well. This stuff hurts my brain”.

Naruto, explaining his findings, he understood it somehow. The collision of their two strongest attacks somehow created a rift in space time where Naruto was teleported to this time period. But that doesn’t explain how Naruto was able to go to this specific period. In theory, when someone travels through time, they have a specific destination in mind. In Naruto’s case he didn’t. 

For reasons unknown, Madara just woke up in his old body without modifications. Was his presence the reason why Naruto ended up in the same situation as him? It doesn’t make sense at all. Unless Naruto died but he still wore that tattered clothing of his. Naruto was no soul, nor a ghoul. These thoughts ached his head. This was the first time he couldn’t think of any plausible explanation. He downed another drink.

“Time travel, I don’t understand any of this. You don’t have answers either”. Naruto muttered, looking at Madara's face. 

The both of them grew silent. Only the background noise of drunks and crying people filled the atmosphere. Once he finished drinking, he ushered the bartender to come closer. Reaching into his pockets, he realized, he ran out of money. This sobered him out. Staring at Naruto, the blond realized that they didn’t have money for today. And this situation led them to wash the dishes.

“Even the great Madara ran out of money”, Naruto said in an annoyed manner, earning him a glare.

“Shut up and do your part”.

Piles of dirty dishes kept on coming. They washed it dutifully with Naruto using his clones to do the job.

“Reminds me of D-rank missions”, Naruto said in nostalgia. He remembered doing the dishes of some random villager when he was a fresh minted genin. “Won’t you request some missions to Old Man First?”

“I’m not pathetic to ask some help to that tree hugger”

“You’re just avoiding him because of that Old Man Second”.

The blond was right afterall. Still, he just washed the dishes. He was prideful. He wouldn’t ask help to the Senju, even show his face. Hashirama may mouthed it off as their village but it wasn’t his to begin with. It belongs to the Senju, not the Uchiha. 

At this point he was slightly drunk. The both of them grew so engrossed with their work that they didn't notice it was already late. The bartender allowed them to leave seeing as they had done their job of cleaning. Naruto was tired at this point. Behind him was a sleeping Madara, arms sprawled on the table uttering Izuna's name. The blond sighed, and put Madara in a piggyback. He found the situation embarrassing. A grown man on his back reminds him of Gai-sensei and Kakashi-sensei. He walked left the bar with Madara on his back sleeping soundly.

"He's so heavy", Naruto muttered.

There were no sounds at this point, only the rustling of leaves from the trees blown by the cold wind making Naruto shiver. He needed a shower. Once he gets home, no, Madara's home, he'd borrow Madara's clothes. He didn't have the money to buy anything at this point. Plus Old Man Second was scary. He didn't want to see him. Reminds him of Captain Yamato, only scarier. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Lots of unanswered questions filled their heads. Naruto is so stupid. He needs an oversimplified explanation to understand something. Again, there might be typos or mistakes. I'm practicing my writing via composing fanfiction. Thanks for reading.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I didn't expect that for four chapters alone, I got more than 2000 hits. Thanks guys for all your support. Here's another chapter for you.

Never in a million years Naruto would imagine he was working with a man infamous for battling Hashirama at the Valley of the End. Sweat glistened the blond’s face as he rummaged books in the newly beginning Konoha Library that was open for everyone, with some sections restricted to the general public. It was thanks to Madara that he amanaged to gain entry into the higher level ranked jutsus reserved for the higher officials like the Hokage and his advisor. Sweat pooled on his face reading details about space-time ninjutsu.

‘_I don’t understand this at all_’.

He looked at his companion beside him, searching for books and scrolls detailing time travel. Everything was in disarray, as if some madman was desperate to find some information. Madara was reading books then tossed one after the other. The high collared outfit he wore rustled while he paced back and forth, searching for more scrolls that could answer their problem.

Finally, the Uchiha sat down. Frustration marred his features. Sure he lived for more than a century but this was the first that happened to him. A scenario where he was trapped in a time where he and Hashirama were alive, before he left to pursue his own goals. Rubbing his temples, he opened another scroll to the side with a complex diagram of spirals with written instructions and theories about space-time.

“Time exists within space. A jutsu such as teleportation warps space from one point to another using chakra. Depending on the distance… “, Madara read when he suddenly closed the scroll.

The same explanation for every source. He glanced at the blond who wore his long sleeved black turtleneck shirt along with his pants, coughing at his searching of books from the shelves above.

“I assume you didn’t find anything either”. He stated calmly.

“They wrote the same thing. About some space-time ninjutsu about some point A. Argh I don’t understand this ttebayo”.

Madara only shook his head. There was no information. The only thing he could theorize about said phenomenon was that his consciousness was transported to his past self, overloading the latter with his memories and experiences from the future. The blond’s situation, however, tore a rift in space where his body was physically transported through time leading him to Hashirama’s time.However, this didn’t explain Naruto’s presence. If Naruto tore apart time, then he should had been transported into a different time period, not the same time period as him. Was his presence the culprit which caused the blond to land on this time? Who was capable of this?

Prior to his death, the Rikudou Sennin mentioned to Hashirama and the others that he couldn’t be saved. Emptied of the bijuu he wouldn’t last long. Sure, he died. Was this the work of the sage? He looked at the bored Naruto sitting opposite of him. He was the last one who saw the sage.

“You saw the Sage, didn’t you?”

This perked Naruto up, the blond giving him attention. “Yeah. He gave us the power to seal Kaguya away”.

“So that was the origin of your power during our fight. The sage had been the reason of Sasuke’s Rinnegan as well”.

“Yeah, you’re right but why are you asking me about this?”. Naruto pointed accusingly to the man.

“The last thing I recalled prior to my death was his summoning of the souls from the Pure Land. Perhaps he was the reason of our presence here”.

“Now, that you’ve mentioned it…. “. Naruto contemplated the thought. A second chance?

“Super Gramps only wished that his sons would end their fight. I’m not Asura nor Sasuke was Indra but I vowed to finish our battle. And yet, I was brought here”.

“Indra…Sasuke was Indra”, Madara muttered. 

“You didn’t know about it?”

Madara’s curiosity increased. He recalled that Sasuke and him have both straight tomoe Sharingan that allowed them fluidity in their movements. They might have a connection beyond blood but couldn’t place what.

“Tell me the story”.

And so Naruto did. The blond explained that the Sage had two sons, one was Indra and the other was Asura. The two would endlessly reincarnate into their descendants or rather their chakra, with the blond citing Madara was Indra and Hashirama was Asura. After their deaths, the chakra transferred to both Naruto and Sasuke. A truly interesting tale. The two brothers, the progenitors of the Senju and Uchiha clan had a feud for something petty, Indra’s jealousy that Asura was anointed as ninshu’s successor instead of him.

Madara compared himself to Indra. It really mirrored his envy with Hashirama.

“Apparently the Uchiha Stone Tablet was tampered by Black Zetsu. All this time I’ve been manipulated by something I believed to be my ‘will’”. He gave out a bitter laugh.

“It was not your fault though”. Naruto tried to comfort him. 

“Even so. I let my rage blind me to promote such utopia that was a lie from the very beginning. I became a pawn pulled by a master puppet. I had pawns and I became the ultimate pawn in the end”.

“Look Madara. Now that we’re back into the past, our biggest problem is Black Zetsu. He won’t stop manipulating your clan to get one of you to awaken the Rinnegan to achieve his goal. I managed to seal that monster with his mother but we are back to square one”. The blond sighed, unsure of what to think at this moment.

Madara stood, returning the scrolls and books he got from the shelves.

“Hey, I thought we’re not done yet”, he said, eyeing the Uchiha.

“There are no answers here. Just return what you got before some nosy people come to accuse us”.

“Old Man Second, huh?”

Madara’s silence confirmed Naruto’s thoughts. Without further ado, Naruto helped Madara returned the things they borrowed on the shelves, arranging them in alphabetical order. Naruto coughed out dust when he returned a scroll from a top section. After cleaning their mess up, Madara left the premises followed by the blond behind him.

It was truly pitiful that he had run out of money. Surely he could steal but decided against it. Fish would suffice. There were lots in the Konoha Rivers afterall.

Naruto threw a kunai in the river, hitting the fish dead center. He remembered his childhood days where he didn’t have money and only he subsisted on freshwater fish. He glanced at Madara who had accumulated more than a dozen fish on his own, roasting them on the fire he created using his Fire Release.

The fishes were impaled with sticks neatly while they were roasted on the fire. The smoke coming from the flames brought a rich scent to Naruto’s nose, making his mouth water even more. He only caught five but that would be enough to satiate his hunger. The blond threaded a stick to the fish then he put it in the fire as well. The two were silent, just sitting together, watching the flames dance on their fish.

It had been two weeks already. At this time period, Madara and Naruto were getting along now. They had no money, spending their time catching fish and searching information. All of them were the same. There were some theories here and there but all were the same.

“I died in our own timeline and I found myself awakening here. You on the other hand, tore time itself that sent you spiraling in the same time period as me. It could be my presence that brought you here in the first place”. Madara said, picking up three sticks of his fish from the fire. He set it down beside him to cool it down.

“That doesn’t explain our purpose here though. Maybe this is an elaborate genjutsu”. Naruto answered, still waiting for his fish to cook.

“I also thought of that. I checked it with my Sharingan but that doesn’t seem to be the case. So the plausible thing is time travel”.

He picked up the fish beside him then bit on it. “What do you plan on doing, Naruto? I don’t have the power to bring you back to your own timeline. It requires an enormous amount of chakra and the only way is the chakra of the bijuu. It… “

“I’m not using them for something as this”, Naruto suddenly became angry.

“It was just a suggestion. Now, you’re stuck in this world along with me”.

“There might be another way”, Naruto insisted. Frustration gripped him from their hopeless situation.

“I admire your determination but what can you do at this point? Leave Konoha, scour the lands infiltrating other lands to search for information? People would call you deluded for saying you are from the future. Or if they believe you, they’d ask for your knowledge, which can prove catastrophic not only to Konoha but to the whole world as well. Worse of all, Black Zetsu still lingers. Not even I can sense him at this point”. Madara took another bite from his fish.

Madara was right though. He had no knowledge of any jutsu regarding time travel. His three fishes were cooked now. He got them out of the fire then gobbled them up, forgetting to cool it down for a moment where he burnt his tongue in the process, prompting the Uchiha to call him an idiot. 

* * *

The both of them entered the sketchy pub. Naruto had no idea why he agreed with Madara in the first place. This time, the pub was almost out of space from the drunks that drank their problems away. The familiar bartender was there and seeing them, he gave them a smile.

“We could use a drink but we don’t have money. We could wash the dishes as…”  
The bartender put a hand to halt Madara. He just grinned. He wore nothing but a simple brown sweatshirt and black pants with an apron around his waist. His appearance was ragged, indicating that he was tired the whole day.

“There’s a special event ongoing around the village so we decided to host free alcohol for everyone. You’re welcome to join, Madara-sama. It’s on the house”.

The bartender then looked at Naruto, causing the blond to swallow audibly.

“Surely he’s not on the legal age”

“He’s my responsibility”

“If you say so, Madara-sama. Not my fault if Hokage-sama scolds you”.

Madara turned away from the bartender. The pub was noisy with the drunks screaming and dancing, with women making their laps as a pillow for the drunks. In the center of the bar, there was a large round table filled with bottles of sake. Anyone could get a bottle for free. Madara wasted no time grabbing his own.

“What are you waiting for?”, he stated at Naruto.

“It’s just that I… Never mind”. Not wanting to lose to Madara, he grabbed his own set of liquor bottles. He wanted to surpass Madara as the one who could handle lots of drinks.That old competitive spirit in him sprung into existence as he positioned on the opposite side of the table facing Madara. The two had a stare down when Madara spoke.

“We were at war at one another at some point. Now on our situation, we must sit down and drink as war buddies”.

“Enough with the talk Madara. I’ll win this one!”.

Noticing their stare down, a crowd gathered around the two combatants. One bottle per hand, Naruto’s blue eyes and Madara’s onyx eyes glinted, looking at each other with such vehemence that one could say they have immense hatred from another.

“One”, Madara started.

“Two”, Naruto continued.

“Three!”, the crowd shouted.

Both opened their bottle of sake and proceeded to gobble up the contents. The drunkards yelled in delight, girls cheered on both sides. Naruto felt his throat burn and he began to regret it. Why did he even agree in the first place? Drink to forget as what Madara said. He saw Madara grinning, downing his second bottle. The blond coughed. This was his first time and he doesn’t want to lose.

* * *

Konoha celebrated Hashirama and Mito’s wedding, solidifying the alliance between the Uzumaki and the Senju clans. As both clans were distant relatives, members of both clans marry one another. It had been a tradition and now Hashirama, a member of the Senju clan, married Uzumaki Mito that day.

Night time exploded with fireworks in tandem with the First Hokage’s wedding. Gifts were presented, with Hashirama thanking each clan head. The newly minted Uchiha clan head, Hikaku, took part in the festivities. This was a dream come true for Hashirama. Both clans who were at war with one another for centuries finally ended. He was sad, however, the he never saw Madara, nor seeing him.  
A week ago, he went to the Uchiha District to personally invite Madara to his wedding, only to find out he wasn’t there. He tried a couple of days later to no avail. His friend was avoiding him. Worse of all, the mysterious blond that arrived in Madara’s life must have influenced his friend’s behavior. Surely, Madara still considered him a friend. Or perhaps not.

Despite the wedding, Hashirama felt sadness. Wearing a formal wedding attire consisting of black hakama, kosode and haori, he was currently in a feast. Various members from other clans mingled, singing and dancing happily. His wife beside him who wore an elaborate kimono decorated with cherry blossoms sat primly. There was this mysterious aura about her which he loved the most. Mito caught his stare and she smiled at him. The Senju returned it with his own.

* * *

Both panted, tables were upside down, empty bottles scattered across the floor, two people too stubborn to give up were the center of attention. Cheeks red from being too drunk, their eyes already half-lidded, neither had given up.

“You’re strong for a first timer, Naruto”.Madara’s voice was slurred, indicating he was severely drunk. 

“I can say…the same for you”. Naruto hiccupped, smiling in an idiotic manner.

“They’re monsters”.

“They’re shinobi, idiot”.

“Most shinobi can’t handle their liquor like that”.

“It’s Uchiha Madara we’re talking here.Obviously he is as tough as what the legends told about him”.

“Then that blond brat”.

“He must be something divine”

Whispers and awe filled the air. The Uzumaki and the Uchiha panted.

“I refuse to lose”, Naruto shouted with his drunken might. He opened another bottle of sake gulped it with such fervor that the crowd once again cheered.

“You… “, Madara growled. This was a competition and once again, he downed another drink.

Their competition ended on a draw. It had been a lot of bottles and they finished the remaining ones left. 

They got out of the pub with all of the drunk people behind them. Waving goodbyes at one another, this was the happiest Madara had been. Feeling acknowledged, where people were at awe with his skills. The euphoria lasted until now. He swayed while walking, together with Naruto, supporting each other to prevent the other from stumbling onto the dimly lit road.

“It was really disgusting. My first kiss… “, Naruto coughed.

“Sasuke, huh?”, Madara laughed.

“Bleh! I don’t even want to remember it”.  
Both drunks laughed. They were swaying, with Naruto’s voice so loud.

“I have ramen~ I want ramen. Let’s sing the tailed beast counting song!”

“How inane”. Madara snorted.

“You’re just jealous you don’t know how to sing”.

“Che!”. Madara then laughed. He felt so happy right now.

“Tailed beast counting song, he we go, here we go!  
One, sleep is better than humans, says Shukaku  
Two, burning in fire, Matatabi  
Three, leave the water to Isobu.  
Four, hot as lava, Son Goku.  
Five, always on the run Kokuo”.

“Hahahahaha”, Madara added.

“Don’t ruin my song. Six, relaxed in a hurry, Saiken.  
Seven the flying… “

Naruto continued to sing. Their home wasn’t far from the pub and yet it felt like it was an eternity of walks. The blond repeated singing the song until Madara finally joined in after a couple of repetitions.

“Eight, he’s got killer rap skills, Killer Bee,  
Nine, the Leaf’s Uzumaki Naruto.  
All the powerful Jinchuuriki have finally come together.  
Can they become friends with the Tailed Beasts?  
They’re all splendid shinobi.  
They’re all wonderful shinobi”.

Dark trees surrounded them. The crunching of the leaves could be heard. There were wooden houses in a distance and yet they didn’t notice the difference.

“Finally home!”, Naruto slid the door open.“You’re not a bad singer, Madara”.

“I’m not…” a hiccup. “Not doing it again”.

The blond only laughed with the Uchiha shoving him on his left as he flickered the switch on. Upon closing the door, he noticed something different. He didn’t recall having books in his living room. Or maybe he had one. He didn’t care. On the other hand, Naruto entered a room and rummaged through a set of clothes.

“Hey Madara, I didn’t expect you to have lots of formal attire”.

The Uchiha ignored him. He removed his clothes and just threw them at the living room, not caring where it went. He entered the bathroom and surprisingly there was hot water prepared for him. He didn’t recall preparing it a few hours ago though it didn’t matter. He slid in into the warm bath stretching. He was severely drunk, his face flushing and he sank to the water deeply.

“There’s someone taking a bath here!”, he shouted to the blond who entered the bathroom

“I’m not taking a dip”.

The room was large enough to accommodate the both of them with the blond scooping water from a nearby pail filled with water, scrubbing himself with soap and brush. The water felt warm on his skin and he breathe a relaxed sigh. Not soon after, Madara got out of the tub and snatched the soap in Naruto’s hands, washing the dirt and grime that accumulated on his body. Neither cared that they were sharing soap and brush as they were too drunk. When they finished, they felt so relaxed that they didn’t bother emptying the tub itself.

Madara followed Naruto into the bedroom and he saw piles of clothing that Naruto had rummaged earlier. Why were there hakamas? Where were his high collared clothes? The blond settled on a simple blue yukata and some black pants he saw in the cabinet. It was loose but he didn’t care. There was a futon already prepared in the middle of the room where Naruto slid into it and pulled the blankets over him.

That was his futon. He saw spares of it in the room and he unfolded it, arranging it carefully before pulling another pillow. Not caring what to wear, he just took a white hakama and a green kimono. Where was his underwear? He further searched the pile and there it was. He quickly dressed himself, went to the living room and turned off the lights. The place seemed unfamiliar to him but he ignored it, burying it deep in his skull. He was too drunk to care. He staggered on his way back to the bedroom and laid down on his futon. He was so happy today. He smiled as he slept.

* * *

Tobirama prepared everything for the night, his bath and bed as he would do some important work tomorrow. It had been a busy day afterall, with his brother getting married to Mito and doing their own business in one house Hashirama had built in the Senju compound. He took a walk in the night as he couldn't sleep, admiring the stars.

He didn't recall how much time had passed when he decided to return home. Something was strange. He quickly slid the door open when he saw something on the floor. He flickered the lights on. Dirty sandals on the floor with scattered clothes. Someone was here. There were two chakra signatures in his room and yet it felt relaxed. 

He paced carefully, a kunai in hand, when he slid open his bedroom door. His clothes were ransacked as if some thief was searching for something. Inside his room, two futons lay on the floor, featuring a sleeping Madara and his blond companion. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Madara and Naruto are screwed.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you again for your support. This keeps me going to write more.
> 
> So if you've read my previous chapters, you've noticed that Hashirama got angry with Tobirama that he crossed the line. Hashirama assumed Madara was still grieving that's why he scolded his brother for unwarranted suspicion when it comes to Naruto and Madara.
> 
> Madara was angry at Tobirama because in the episode 474 of Naruto Shippuden, he already died, betrayed but freed of his Curse of Hatred. His plan's failure depressed him but it allowed him to reconcile with Hashirama before his death. In this fic, when he found himself back in time, of course he would be depressed. Trying to relive it again and lost in his decisions made Madara snap quickly.
> 
> Naruto on the other hand is beyond frustrated as well. He wasn't rude to Tobirama, he's just scared as Madara told him off screen that Tobirama investigates people who he deems suspicious. While Konoha is his home, this Konoha isn't. He worries about the world he came from, the one with the Infinite Tsukuyomi that's why he drank with Madara, just to ease his worries away.

The kunai from Tobirama’s hand dropped to the floor with a loud thunk when he saw the drunken flush on Madara’s face while he slept. No, he didn’t expect this phenomenon whatsoever. He had only gone out of his abode for a walk and here he was in this type of unexpected situation where the former head of the Uchiha clan slept in a spare futon. His blanket barely covered him at all. Tobirama could see that his clothes, a green kimono and white hakama, were worn by Madara himself. It fit him perfectly, like as if it was made for him.

His other companion in the other hand covered his whole figure with a blanket. Only his rising breathing stomach was seen, going up and down. His right hand stuck out but the rest of his body were hidden in view.  
Tobirama’s eyes then traveled up to his rummaged cabinet where his articles of clothing were scattered, as if some thief burrowed into it. Hakamas, kimonos, some of his black suits even his fundoshi were thrown to some parts of the room which made his face crease in anger and annoyance. A normal person would explode in anger but the Senju took this situation lightly. He considered waking Madara up and letting him fix his things.

He paced on one corner of his room, the one near to his door on his right where he picked up three pieces of his fundoshi, doing the same thing on his hakamas that were on Naruto’s side. He took extra effort not to wake them up, folding his garments neatly before putting it to his side. The rest that were gathered on top of Madara’s head were crumpled, the creasing on the cloths could be seen where he was seated in between of Naruto and Madara’s futon. Taking a sigh, he collected his remaining scattered clothing, nearly pressing them to remove the crease, folding them like what he did to his other clothing earlier. This was a long night where the moon hanged on the sky shining its glow on Tobirama’s home until it was covered by the passing clouds for each minute that had passed. Madara was clearly inebriated, seeing his face was red all over. What’s more, his companion was snoring loudly, his breath escaping through the blankets indicating the smell of sake. It passed through the sheet of linen that he smelled it. 

* * *

The sun finally lightened the day where some distant birds chirped in welcome towards the new day. Trees swayed when some wind blew on its direction, the leaves making sounds of relaxation to whoever listens to its tune. This was a time where Tobirama woke up in his hideout deep within the forests of Konoha where he spent the night. He spent the night folding his clothes and had trouble deciding whether he’d stay in his home and take some sleep or stay here where his peace couldn’t be disturbed. He decided on the latter, traversing the secret paths until he reached metallic colored concrete walls where he put his hand on a swirling seal. It glowed where giant doors of metal split open, welcoming him in.

Upon his entry, it closed. Total darkness surrounded him where his footsteps could be heard. Finding the flicker of his switch, he turned it upwards where light illuminated the whole area. Books, bottles of ink and decayed body parts, scrolls containing writings of his experiments all laid down on a desk in the middle of the room. Last night was his brothers wedding where he took part in the festivities as per normal tradition of an alliance through marriage.

He was broken out on his stupor when he remembered that Madara and his companion were still in his home. He rushed outside his hideout, pressing another swirling seal inside where tall metallic doors split open in half. The daylight greeted him as he walked outside, the doors closing behind him.

* * *

“Tobirama, I’m coming inside”.

Hashirama woke up early that day where his newly minted wife laid on her side sleeping peacefully. They had no clothes on, a symbol they had consummated their marriage. The clock on the wall ticked in 6:34 when he decided to get up and bathe himself. He took one last look towards his sleeping wife when she stirred in her sleep mumbling something incoherent. Hashirama kissed her on her forehead, then pulling the blankets on her chest to cover her intimacy. This was the moment where Hashirama dressed in his customary maroon and white hat and haori over a full-length maroon and white gown, along with a simple red headband after taking a bath.

His abode is just near his brother’s so he decided to visit him for today. They had ample time to prepare for his duties.  
Sliding the door open, the first thing that captured Hashirama’s attention were the dirty sandals on the floor. One of them was on the other side of the wall while the other was upside down. There were scattered clothes that consist of a long sleeved black turtleneck and two, white, crumpled fundoshi that were thrown aside under the table of the living room. This was odd for Hashirama, as his brother was neat. Did someone come over?

“Tobirama?” ‘_I can’t sense his chakra’_.

There was a hallway that lead to the kitchen. Before the hallway was Tobirama’s room. The wood glistened under the sun’s light giving it a wondrous sheen indicating it was new. Hashirama heard a loud snore inside. Carefully sliding it open, it astounded him who was inside. His friend Madara, lying on his side with his face facing the door. A small amount of drool oozed out from his lips, and he was wearing his brother’s formal clothes. The blanket was on his feet, not covering his whole torso, giving Hashirama the view how Madara’s appearance was. Disheveled hair, very pale skin, it brought a worry in Hashirama’s chest.

Madara’s blond companion was a few inches away from Madara, hugging a pillow. Drool pooled beneath his chin while he wore Tobirama’s blue yukata and black pants. He was away on his futon, his blond hair drooped and he was mumbling something on his sleep.

Hashirama sensed his brother’s chakra and he turned his back, sliding the door closed letting the two uninvited guests sleep. Tobirama entered his home with a scowling face, carefully arranging his sandals to the side before walking barefoot in his home.

“Tobirama, what… “

“I found them there”, Tobirama pointed out, his index finger at the direction of his room. “Inebriated, wearing my clothes, even my… inner garments”. Really? Hashirama found this disbelieving, even downright odd. Madara wasn’t the kind of man to wear someone’s underwear, even that someone is his brother. When Tobirama said inner garments there was an embarrassing tone to it, or disgust which he couldn’t tell. “They literally trashed my entire home. They took a bath in my prepared tub, using my soap and brush”.

This situation was beyond outrageous. Madara was totally out of character. No way would Madara drink this much, nor drag an underage teen to drink with him. Surely, Madara would recognize his own home but to enter Tobirama’s place? Too much alcohol inhibits a person’s thinking process which might be “Since that child came, he has been avoiding me. I want to invite him to my wedding but he wasn’t there”.

Tobirama crossed his arms, sending his brother a neutral look. “While I was returning home from my hideout, I happened to pass by two ordinary people, discussing a certain Uchiha and a teen engaging in a drinking contest for four hours straight. It was the night of your wedding, anija”.

Hashirama’s eyes widened. A drinking contest? He only rubbed his forehead with frustration.

* * *

The sunlight grew stronger as time passed by, scorching the earth with its heat forcing the birds to take a nearby dip in the rivers of Konoha. Local wildlife drank in its rivers, with the deer chewing off the leaves of a random bush. The heat from the summer caused Madara to finally wake up, his hair disheveled covering the left side of his face. Sweat pooled on his chest as he sat up, groaning while clutching his head in searing pain. He wanted to sleep albeit the heat was too much, making him decide to take a shower to cool himself out, except he found himself in a ridiculous situation.

His vision was temporarily blurry before returning to normal. He noticed there were lots of spare futons rolled up in the right corner of the room, even his clothes. They weren’t his to begin with. He never owned these types of ridiculous fashion wear, remembering a certain Senju. Wait. He glanced at his side, seeing the blond drooling, blankets were torn on his left as he was facing the Uchiha. The blue yukata he wore reminded him of a certain someone who wore these colors in the battlefield and as casual wear. No… Tobirama. He was in the Senju compound, sensing their chakra.  
Madara flushed in embarrassment. This was beyond humiliating. He intended to keep his issues hidden from Hashirama yet here he was. He tried to remember his activities last night, arranging them in his minds eye details of his actions. He had gone to the library with Naruto, they had a drink, with neither side giving up thus resulting in a draw. They walked home, singing the stupid song the blond invented or whatever. They walked, intoxicated, talking nonsense he couldn’t remember. How stupid he was singing along with his companion. He remembered taking a dip inside that tub, sharing brush and soap with the blond, wearing Tobirama’s clothes. Madara took a peek beneath his pants, it wasn’t his fundoshi. It was a bit tight to his stomach. A myriad of emotions flooded him, with shame and humiliation being the most dominant of them all.

There was a window in the room, it was slightly open at this point. Did Tobirama open it to allow air to enter? Or did he open it last night? It doesn’t matter. This was Tobirama’s home he deduced. The man should just had waken him up. But why did he allow him to stay here? Was it because he was drunk? The younger Senju saw this moment of weakness, forever etched in his memory. His gaze traveled to the window. Escaping it would be easy. He could just leave the sleeping blond behind but before he could do so, he heard footsteps coming from outside the room. It was Tobirama. Madara could clearly sense his chakra. He did the first thing coming into his mind, pretending to be asleep.

The door slid open, the heaviness of the footsteps on the tatami he could feel. Madara was lying with his face on the door. He felt Tobirama’s eyes watching him before his footsteps went to the direction of the window. The breeze that entered the room grew stronger meaning the Senju opened the window wider.

“I know you’re awake”, Tobirama’s voice was behind him. No need to pretend then. He sat up, facing the younger Senju.

“You must have now realized where you’re at”. Tobirama’s face had their usual sternness in them, making the Uchiha want to avoid his gaze. “I didn’t know that you would follow the life of a drunkard”.

Such bluntness. Instead of retorting, he only replied. “So? Is something wrong with that?”. He just want to forget his problems, lest it will consume him. Time travel, these nasty things that only reminded him of his failures was such a worst punishment, reliving his own life to do something or not. He only hoped this was all an elaborate genjutsu.  
Tobirama only snorted at this, deciding to not answer the Uchiha, walking past through him. “There’s food on the table if you wish to eat”.

“Thank you for the offer but I don’t want to”.

“It doesn’t have poison”. Tobirama was at the door, glaring at him with those crimson eyes.

“That’s not… “, the Uchiha’s stomach rumbled, making him blush in embarrassment.

“Your body tells the truth”, the Senju replied smugly, smirking in his direction, making Madara blush harder. 

It was at this moment that Naruto stirred awake, head pounding in pain. “Where?”  
Naruto’s stomach rumbled, which made Tobirama shake his head in annoyance.

“Hurry up and eat. I’m not going to babysit you all day attending to your needs. After this, leave my place. You had disturbed me enough and I no longer require it”.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, Tobirama took the situation calmly.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello world. Finally here is your update. Thank you for reading this fic.

Naruto and Madara felt shame at seemingly maximum levels, as they wore Tobirama’s clothes, used his bathroom, even rummaging through his closet to wear for the night. At the time when they were eating, Madara just wanted to cover his face from the shame of being seen by Tobirama drunk. He was seen at this moment of weakness. That Hashirama who checked up on him that noon time didn’t help either. Questions poured over him like water, even Hashirama looked at Naruto, who was blushing from shame while eating.

Tobirama was just at the corner, gazing at him with those piercing crimson eyes. He couldn’t determine what was in the Senju’s mind now. Madara forced himself to eat in Tobirama’s presence. Uncomfortable and clad in the other’s garments, he tried to ignore the younger Senju’s eyes though he could still feel it. If possible, he didn’t want to recall that moment. He only ate a small amount of food just to satisfy Hashirama’s naggings that he should eat.

He didn’t utter a thank you, going directly to the door while stepping on Naruto’s foot beneath the table. Fortunately, the blond managed to get his signal that they should leave. If possible, the Uchiha didn’t want to remember that memory. All he wanted was to bury it in the deep recesses of his head. Forget its existence, and then eventually move on.

Both of them were inside his house. The clothes of the Senju he had now thrown while Naruto still wore it for some reason. Madara favored his high collared, blue, Uchiha outfits as it defined him who he truly was. He merely sat on his tatami inside his room, deep in thought. Hashirama would come into his home at any point to convince him of his stupid ideas. Whatever flowery thoughts that Hashirama might think he would act upon, which at some instances disgust Madara. So he had decided to find another place to stay away from the prying eyes of the Uchiha. It would also benefit him from the shame he had experienced. The blond was staring at him for what seemingly an eternity. It’s as if Naruto was reading his mind.

“Running away won’t solve your problems, you know”. Arms crossed, still in the blue yukata. Looking at Naruto reminded him of Tobirama. That nasty blue color, even remembering the events from last night made him want to hide his existence from the world.

The blond just sat there with an annoyed look on his face. Mouth pouting, awaiting Madara’s reply.

“My image was now ruined at this point. There’s no reason to stay here”.

“So you’re leaving Konoha once again?”. Naruto replied in astonishment. “If this is about you plotting about the Infinite…. “

“I already know what awaits me if I tread that path”, the Uchiha interrupted. His eyes flashed in what seemed to be red but it was just Naruto’s imagination afterall.

“Hashirama doesn’t need an infestation that follows his every move. No… I mean… “, he trailed off. “This world is not our own. He may be Hashirama but not the Hashirama I know. Everything in this world isn’t the thing we used to know. Can you live in a world where it reminds you of your failures? Can you live in a world where the ones you know were gone? This place… my life if I can call this my own… is a twisted mockery of my ideal hopes and wishes. Tell me, can you live in a world like this? Where your own friends weren’t even present?”

“Of course not!”. There was hurt in Naruto’s eyes. “All I wanted was to return and yet I’m stuck here with you of all people.”

“Don’t blame me for things that weren’t under my control”.

“This world may not be our own but that doesn’t mean you have to run away from them. He may be not the Old Man First you know but he was concerned for your wellbeing. Old Man Second is suspicious as usual. I’ve even felt it myself. You’ll just fuel it the more you avoid them. Running away from Konoha as a nukenin once again might make susceptible to Black Zetsu’s machinations. Different world, time travel, alternate universe it doesn’t matter”.

Madara snorted. “A nukenin you say? Who told you I’d do the same thing? ”. He stood up, went to his closet made of wood. He opened it where his piles of clothing were hanged and folded.

“Then what do you mean you were leaving?“. Naruto also stood up, eyeing Madara with suspicion. “You’re leaving the Uchiha District”.

“Exactly. Don’t assume things immediately”.

“If you could’ve told me earlier I’d…. Wait. Where will we stay at this point?”. Naruto observed Madara packing his things. The Uchiha folded his garments neatly with swiftness, shoving them in what seemed to be an ordinary backpack that looked ancient.

Madara ignored him, focusing on arranging the pile in his bag.

“Madara, you have a home. Just because… “

“Where did you live during your time in the village?”. He was interrupted by Madara, expression a blank canvas searching him for answers.

“What’s it got to do with me? You already know that I don’t have a home here”.

“Could you be more of an idiot?”. Madara slid the door open in his room where he got out. Naruto was annoyed by now that he decided to follow the Uchiha outside of his house. The Uchiha’s backpack was worn by Madara. He looked like a camper which Naruto thought.

Madara chose a path where no other Uchiha would see them. It was a desolate road with tall trees not giving a breeze. Madara walked in a fast pace where he was followed by the fuming blond. Naruto was surprised when Madara stopped walking, turning to face him. 

“Now that we’re here, tell me what part of Konoha did you live”.

This was where Naruto truly got it. Madara was asking him of his place of residence. "It was far from the Uchiha District, located a few blocks from Ichiraku Ramen. It’s distance to the Academy wasn’t near either, let’s say a few kilometers to say the least but it didn’t hurt when I go to Iruka-sensei. It had a shortcut to the marketplace if you enter this alley except if it… “

“That will do then”.

“Madara, wait. Don’t tell me you’ll start living there. Oi, don’t ignore me”. Naruto just yelled while Madara kept on ignoring him. A typical day towards the duo where they argue and where Madara ignored him at certain times.

* * *

Hashirama was so spent on the pile of paperwork that towered on his desk. He only finished a quarter of it, signing them for missions. He heaved a sigh. As the Academy was newly built, documents were sent into his office to sign. Those documents were applications for the teaching program. He had to screen out those who weren’t deserving and accept those who were qualified. He may be the God of Shinobi but that doesn’t mean he would sit here all day sorting documents for today and later. Tobirama would occasionally help him in his job. He also had a wife to attend to. He had no time for her lately due to the massive workload he had been having. Hashirama turned on his window, looking at his carved face. He clearly remembered the day where he and Madara were standing there. His friend was smiling on the prospect of becoming Hokage yet he was the one elected.

His brother was right. This wasn’t the Warring States Period anymore where decisions lie upon a single person. This was the era where people were given the chance to vote for a more capable leader. Though this still brought him guilt from the empty promise he made to Madara. His friend was clearly avoiding him. There was this unexpected incident where Madara was there at the Senju compound in his brother’s clothes, clearly inebriated together with that child. According to the stories he heard, they were having a drinking contest. Hashirama knew that Madara was competitive by nature. Speaking of the blond, he felt a pang of jealousy. There was this nagging feeling that he was replaced.

That blond lived with Madara, even sharing an embarrassing moment together with the Uchiha. They were clad in Tobirama’s clothes, sleeping in his brother's room. Shinobi would normally recognize their surroundings when they’re drunk. In Madara’s case however, he had drunk over the limit, causing his brain to not recognise his surroundings. That wasn’t like his friend at all. Last time, he was grieving and Hashirama got angry with his brother.

Confusion arose in Hashirama. Grief and empty promises were the reasons he thought Madara was drinking. But the drinking contest? It didn’t make sense at all. This was new side of his friend he didn't see. Hashirama looked at his pile of paperwork, getting a pile from the top on his right. It was a D rank mission to clean the gardens of an old woman. He signed it, putting it on a pile of approved documents he had signed earlier in his left. This was going to be a long day.

* * *

  
There in broad daylight was the house that never existed. Naruto only stared at Madara annoyed who assumed it might exist in this period.

‘_Obviously it won’t be built this time_’, was Naruto’s only thought.

The blond recalled how Madara wore a hood just to conceal his identity. While it did work, running away from Hashirama won’t do him any good. Plus, Tobirama would ask questions anyway.

“Let’s find another”. Madara said it neutrally that it made the blond’s eye twitch.

“I don’t understand how that brain of yours really work”. He was wearing a hooded cloak in Madara’s insistence. He had no reason to follow the Uchiha’s whims but because he lived with the man, even wore his clothes, he had no choice but to comply.

Madada turned to face him. Naruto wasn’t intimidated, making his eye twitch even further. “I thought you could be of some use”. 

A single sentence tempted the blond to jump on Madara but there were people around. He must not give their position away as he promised the Uchiha to not protest to his decisions in exchange for help. Shaking his head, he just followed Madara.

While he was following Madara, he saw a man clad in green jumpsuit in orange leg warmers who was walking using his hands. He mistook him as Bushier Brows-sensei but quickly dismissed. He looked like Guy with those thick eyebrows and black hair, even having prominent cheekbones albeit his hair wasn’t styled in a bowl cut. Despite the resemblance, his eye shape was different. They were narrow and he had a smaller nose than Bushier Brows-sensei. People were laughing at him as he walked on his hands. Sweat poured on his face, dripping towards the ground.

“One thousand four hundred forty nine. One thousand four hundred fifty”. He stopped. He flipped, immediately standing on both of his feet. “The springtime of youth isn’t over yet. I managed to reach one thousand four hundred fifty walks on my hands. After that, two hundred laps around the village”. Tears flowed on his face, reminding Naruto of Guy.

He noticed the blond standing behind him, giving him a thumbs up, smiling with a ping from his teeth. “What can I do for you, young man? Enjoying your youth as well?”

Naruto was reminded of Guy and Lee. Tears started to leak from his eyes that he didn’t notice the man embraced him. The blond was surprised at this gesture.

“Yosh, the power of youth burns brightly in you”. He patted Naruto’s shoulder, then he leaned to whisper in his ear. “I have a secret that no one else knew”.

He retreated from the blond, and out of nowhere, he had another green jumpsuit on his hands. “Train in this suit and you’ll get stronger. This is fueled by positive ions that energizes a human body to keep on training without muscle strains”. He said it in a whisper that made the blond feel nostalgic. Naruto accepted the suit when his stomach rumbled.

The man once again smiled, giving a thumbs up. “I wasn’t wrong in choosing a disciple to teach my secrets”.

“Wait, I’m not even… “, the blond gulped. He was just like Guy-sensei.

“I was about to run two hundred laps around Konoha but I can’t just ignore another young soul who was suffering from the onset of hunger. Come to my abode and let’s eat to our hearts content!”.

“Oi, what are you gawking at?”.

The both of them were interrupted by a scowling Madara, walking through them with his hooded cloak and a backpack.

“Do you know of this young man?”. The guy asked the blond, causing Naruto to face-palm. He was referring to Madara. How could he not know the Uchiha? Was he that ignorant? 

“Here I was searching for a place to live yet here you are talking to some nobody”.

When he heard these words, he burst into another round of tears. “Young man”, he said to the blond. “To think that you never had a home, walking these paths searching for a place yet finding none”.

Naruto suddenly had a bad feeling on this. Madara looked on towards the man with a blank stare before saying something with some sort of reluctance. 

“I’m looking for a place to stay that doesn’t have any people, where I could be in peace with no distractions”.

The man seemed to think for a moment then smiled with that bright white teeth of his. “People call me Wild Green Beast in the Forests of the Land of Fire. I am Might Kai. I swear on my word that I know such place and that is my abode”.

Madara didn’t expect this at all. From the humiliation of being seen by Tobirama intoxicated to an unexpected kindness by a man he just met, Madara wondered what in the world was going on in his life. 

Naruto, surprised at this, took this as an opportunity. "You see, we don't have a place to stay at. If we could stay in your home for...".

Madara yanked him on his arm, then said in a hushed voice. "What do you think you're doing? We don't even know him".

"You can live there for as long as you want my friends. This is an era of peace, not in times of war. There is nothing wrong with helping a fellow stranger in times of need". 

Naruto freed his arm from Madara's grasp. He even replied in the same hushed voice. "Think about it. You're looking for a place to stay away from Old Man First. Now that the opportunity comes, are you going to say no? Swallow your pride just for once. You were not the only one humiliated on that incident". The blond was referring to that shameful event he would want to forget. 

"Really?", Naruto beamed towards Kai. "I promise that we won't be freeloaders. We'll help in any way we can". 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I thought that I would introduce an ancestor of Might Duy or whatever. Maybe a clansman. You decide.


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Today is my father's birthday so I tried to incorporate it into this chapter by having one of the characters have a celebration on their own.

Madara looked blankly at the scene before him. They weren’t running, just walking lazily with this peculiar man that Naruto managed to catch on with his eye. They chatted happily about youth and the peace that is Konoha. This man named Kai didn’t seem to know Hashirama, only he heard some leader of two clans joining in together to create a home for children who didn’t need to be put into the front lines fighting for a useless cause.

His thoughts drifted off to the house in the Uchiha District he left in. A small part of him felt guilt that he didn’t inform Hashirama of his sudden departure but the shame of being seen by Tobirama was the most humiliating experience he ever had. They sat on the same table, with Tobirama’s eyes piercing through his soul. On the battlefield he was confident but under that domestic setting where the younger Senju’s eyes scrutinizing him sent signals of disbelief. That look reminded him of pity or rather of a man gazing on somewhat lesser than him.   
Pushing these thoughts out of his eyes, he didn’t notice the trickle of time that went by. He didn’t know what direction they were as Naruto still continued to talk with Kai.

Madara could tell that they weren’t in the village or…wait.They were still in Konoha, only the surroundings were already unrecognizable. Green grasses littered both of the lands at their sides, where cattle and cows grazed the fields. They were standing on a narrow dirt road leading up for what seemingly miles ahead. Madara looked to his right and saw several members of what clan Kai came from, wearing the same green jumpsuit and instead of those orange warmers they were wearing rain boots. They sent a wave into their direction where Kai excitedly waved back. 

The atmosphere was peaceful, allowing Madara to revel in rare moment of bliss. He inhaled the fresh scent of the dry earth and grass, a once in a lifetime opportunity where he took advantage of. Closing his eyes, there was this serene look on his face that no one saw in his entire lifetime. The wind blew his hood off, revealing pale skin and black hair.

“Peaceful, isn’t it?”

Madara’s eyes snapped open at this, seeing Kai flashing him a thumbs up.

“We moved in recently with the other clans and chose this particular spot away from the busy life in the streets”. Pointing to the other people working in the pasture lands, he continued. “During the Warring States Period, we don’t engage in wars unlike other clans. We grow our own food by tilling our land and letting our children live the rest of their childhood free from any burdens of death and grief. Still, that didn’t stop us from training our minds and bodies to overcome any trials as it couldn’t be helped that at some point in our lifetime, you’d be invaded by other people wanting your resources.”.

“And wars start because of that. Small countries pay for shinobi to fight other clans in behalf of their own greed. They desired more power, leading to the deaths of several children in the battlefield, forced by their parents to fight for a cause not theirs”, Madara replied.

“Exactly. By establishing this village, senseless wars will stop. There’s this security you can trust on to keep your children safe”.   
Madara let out a wry laugh in him, causing Kai to look at him in confusion. This Kai reminded him of Gai who he fought back in the Fourth Shinobi War.

“What’s wrong?”, Kai asked, tilting his head to the side.

“Nothing, you just remind me of someone”. Madara’s stomach rumbled, causing Kai to laugh much to the Uchiha’s embarrassment.

“As I promised to you, you can stay here all you want. You don’t have an abode to keep yourselves warm so feel free to be as comfortable as you like”. He motioned Madara to follow him into his home.

Suddenly remembering Naruto, Madara came into a halt. Kai turned to look at him and asked. “Something wrong?”

“That blond brat. Have you…”

“Oh him? He had already gone to eat along with the members of our clan. Wait!”. Kai smiled again excitedly, a light bulb flickered in his head. “How could I forget? Today is the birthday of the Great Elder. They were having these games before the grand celebration tonight”.

Madara gulped at this. This was bad news. If Hashirama were to be invited….

“We don’t commonly invite outsiders no matter how high their standing in society is”. He leaned in to whisper in Madara’s ears, his hand covering his mouth to whisper.“Because we hand a special item that only members of the clan could have.”. 

From out of nowhere, a green jumpsuit materialized from his hands. Even Madara couldn’t tell where did he get that from. “Only those who are worthy and embrace youth to the fullest shall have these. When worn it increases your motivation to train for you to get stronger. When you are hit by boulders, it absorbs that shock reducing damage to your muscles. Because you have these youth in you, you are worthy to have this as proof of trust”. He shoved the clothing in Madara’s hands before he ran towards the pasture lands, sending a debris of dust flying into the air. When he disappeared, Madara’s eye twitched. He didn’t know what he had signed into.

* * *

Hashirama knocked profusely on Madara’s door. Everytime he comes here, Madara wasn’t answering him. So he decided to slide the door open. “Madara, I’m coming in”.   
His friend was skilled at hiding his own chakra that even Tobirama couldn’t sense him. Either Madara pretends to be asleep he didn’t know. He would take this chance. Swiftly opening the door, he quickly noticed something was wrong. A foreboding sense of dread entered his being when he paced inside Madara’s living room. In his left, there was a hallway leading to what appears to be leading inside his friends room.

His instinct told him that the direction he followed was right afterall. Still, he kept his guard. There could be traps in here for thieves or shinobi alike. He stood on the front door of Madara, taking breaths to calm himself. Sliding it open, he found it empty. No trace of any futons or clothes. The closet was wide open, even Madara’s gunbai was nowhere to be found. The room was clean of things except for a small table in the corner and a vase. No one saw Madara leave, even his blond companion was nowhere to be found.

The close bond between this blond and Madara affected his friend in a variety of ways. The Uchiha no longer talked to him, do not want to meet him and even engaged in a drinking contest which wasn’t in his friends character at all. He clenched his fists. He didn’t know if this was anger or jealousy. Did he somehow fail Madara? If Madara hated him, then he should have told him, not run away like this. Was the incident involving barging inside Tobirama’s home and sleeping there contributed to this? No answer. He needed to find his friend and have a talk with him so he could have all the answers. Madara was vague lately. And this blond had a large role to play in this.

* * *

Madara reluctantly wore the jumpsuit provided to him along with these orange warmers. A flush on his cheeks indicated he was embarrassed. Still, it didn’t deter him from joining in these preliminary games as they called it when it involved eating huge amounts of food trying to beat the record of one another. His stomach was bulging from being full and he felt sick. On his side was Naruto who was also sick from too much eating while the others continued to devour the food with so much vigor that they continued to yell happily. Naruto’s face was green, looking like he was about to puke. And it did happen. Naruto puked on his side where it grossed the Uchiha out.

“Towards the power of youth!”. They raised their hands in the air where everyone cried in happiness. A huge amount of tears trickled down their cheeks, spraying water on Madara’s lap.

* * *

Tobirama noticed his brother had been moody the whole afternoon. He knew where these mood swings came from. Writing on the desk in his office sorting out document per document, his thoughts drifted off to Madara. A fool wouldn’t be fooled with Madara’s actions in his home. He ate the food served reluctantly. He ate very little, a few spoonfuls of rice and vegetables, trying to be careful so as not to be poisoned. His distress was very obvious which prompted him to tell Madara that the food wasn’t poisoned.

Even so, the Uchiha let the words pass through his ears, giving an excuse not to eat. That flushed face, the way he wore his clothes even his inner garments, it was ridiculous to be exact. Who would have thought that the great Uchiha Madara would be reduced in such a manner? He even wandered what did the blond do to enact such out of character behavior from Madara. They had been very close lately, living in the same house. No one in their right minds would let a complete stranger stay in their house. What if that stranger was an assassin in disguise? Despite the peace that reigned in the village, it was odd that Madara let the blond stay in his home. The most plausible thing was that they had known each other for a long time. But if they did, they why didn’t he see the blond in the battlefield?

Another mystery was his chakra. It was incredulous in amount just like his brother. Where did he come from? But he couldn’t forget that flushed cheeks on Madara’s face. It was a rarity and he wanted to see it again. He found it endearing and pleasant to the eye. He would want to see it again. As if he realized what he was thinking, Tobirama stilled, eyes wide with surprise. Where did that line of peculiar thought came from?   
Endearing, pleasant to the eye…. Impossible. He wouldn’t think of Madara in such a way. He was just tired as he had been worrying a lot lately. Putting his pen to the desk, he decided to continue his work at night. He needed to relax for now.

* * *

The Great Elder was now seated near the bonfire. He also wore these green jumpsuit with orange warmers. His face was wrinkled indicating he was really old. His strong jaws and slicked back gray hair didn’t deter him from laughing loudly, telling his tales of youth towards the younger members of the clan.   
The grand celebration was surprisingly solemn, a complete contrast to the events during the day. Madara held a small cup of sake on his hand listening to the wisdom of this Great Elder.

“You may have wondered why our bodies decay. Just like the leaves from the trees that were once vibrant, turning burnt when time passes. They fall to the ground, serving as a sacrifice for new leaves to grow. We are also vibrant like those leaves but the difference is our inability to never give up on the ideals that we had set in stone. Our bodies may look toasted but the youth in our minds will never fade away. Youth isn’t defined by physical appearances. It is defined by our beliefs and our willingness to pass through the hurdle of challenges that life sets upon us. Worrying about the prying eyes of others won’t help you in your youth. Don’t mind those fools. Because we are always eternally youthful!”.

At that last sentence alone, everyone screamed in delight, crying the same tears of joy while they embraced each other.

“We should embrace our youth, gentlemen”.

“We should love each other”.

Despite such odd and peculiar sight where manly men cry on each other’s arms, Madara smiled, downing the sake in one gulp. Naruto on the other hand was grossed out with two people who just grabbed and embraced him, shouting about youth and enjoying it to the fullest. Madara was also surprised when out of nowhere, Kai embraced him, crying these tears that wetted his shoulders. Madara's eye twitched on this. He was still confused why he agreed to be here. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Madara deserves to experience peace. Don't worry, there'll be problems along the way. Stay tuned for further updates. Have a great day.


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi guys. Thanks for the kudos and reviews. You inspire me to write more.

With the creation of Anbu courtesy of his brother, Hashirama used them to further investigate the identity of the blond.

Unknown to many, Hashirama was an avid artist, having drawn too many plants during his childhood as hobby. This hobby turned useful when he drew an image of the blond. He copied each detail perfectly, from his blond hair, blue eyes and whisker marks. To help the Anbu, he also transformed into the blond to help them find the child. Tobirama was right afterall. While Hashirama may be jealous of Madara and the blond’s friendship, he couldn’t help but suspect that they knew each other for a long time, with his friend keeping to him a secret about the identity of the blond. 

Hashirama sat in his office, filling in documents about land sales of the Nara clan, approving them therefore allowing them to herd their deer, as raising these animals were a tradition in the clan. These deer also had a special affinity towards the Naras, alerting them in case of danger. His hand signed those documents flawlessly, filling in his name perfectly. Putting them on the stack of his papers on his right, he quickly sensed the manifesting Anbu in front of him.

He wore Konoha’s standard Anbu uniform consisting of a black suit, sleeveless gray flack jacket, metal arm guards and gloves, ninja sandals, two pouches on his back side and a tanto strapped on his back. A porcelain mask in the likeness of a boar was used to cover his face.

“Hokage-sama, my entourage and I have been searching for this blond person that just appeared on the day you and Tobirama-sama mentioned. Unfortunately, there are no traces of his identity. We had asked people around the Land of Fire only to receive no information”. His tone was serious which made Hashirama narrow his eyes.

His hands on his desk clenched. He was worried for his friends safety. “Which means he was from outside the Land of Fire’s territory. I know that our village welcomes all citizens but…. “, he trailed off. “He made Madara act differently. One could say this is jealousness on my part but he made my friend distant. No… perhaps manipulating him to do something differently”. He let out a wry laugh. “I’m becoming my brother for being suspicious”.

“I’m sorry, Hokage-sama”.

The Hokage only shook his head smiling. “It’s alright. I’m doing this for the safety of the village. I just want to know if he’s a threat or not. You and your entourage will investigate outside the Land of Fire. Whatever information, be it a minor detail that could lead to this blond’s identity, it would help”.

The Anbu nodded, finally disappearing into a poof. Hashirama sighed. He wanted to rest and attend to his wife later. His was broken out of his musings when Hikaku burst opened the door.

Hashirama was surprised at this, seeing Hikaku’s frantic expression, breathing heavily.

This brought a sense of dread in the Senju. Uchiha wouldn’t normally barge in his office unless necessary.

“Hikaku, what brings you here? Is this about Madara?”

Hikaku was now the current head of the Uchiha clan and the news of Madara’s departure didn’t reach their attention until Hashirama himself went to Madara’s House to check his friend. The Uchiha and the Hokage had been cooperating with each other lately to find the former Uchiha leader. They were aware of the blond he brought home. They weren’t able to make moves on the blond as he was under Madara’s protection. Their former leader fell under the blond’s charms, with this person convincing Madara to depart Konoha.

“Not quite. However this is in relation to our blond resident”. Hikaku looked directly to Hashirama’s eyes, then pulling out a scratched Konoha forehead protector from his pocket. He showed it to the Senju which he eyed in return.

“In what way?”. Hikaku handed said forehead protector to him, where Hashirama observed it.

“I have seen it in Madara-sama’s room. Any person wouldn’t wear a scratched forehead protector as part of their wardrobe unless they've been under a war”.

“And his clothes were tattered as well”. He clearly remembered it. When he first met this blond, he wore a tattered black and orange jacket, exposing his mesh armor on his chest. He had wounds that littered his face. It was obvious that he fought a battle which was a huge one. Hashirama knew what wars could be like.

“The question is, how did he possess Konoha’s forehead protector when he wasn’t even a Konoha shinobi in the first place?”. Hikaku questioned.

Hashirama only grew silent. Questions poured more in his head. “He stole it”. That was his only explanation. 

“If he had stolen it, then why it did it look like that it was heavily used?”. Hikaku pointed out.

* * *

The time Naruto realized his forehead protector was gone when he and Madara were finding information about their unique predicament. At that time, Madara just told him to forget it. Still, he couldn’t help but worry as it was the only thing that reminded him of his comrades. Someone who would he able to find it would bring a chill on his spine. This wasn’t his Konoha. He was afraid of what Hashirama could do. Kurama wasn’t even awake yet. He lost a significant amount of chakra during his battle with Sasuke.

Even wearing the green jumpsuit and orange warmers made him nostalgic. He had one at home, in his own time. He only wore it once when he had gone alongside a mission with Sakura to find this cure for Lee’s condition. Madara disliked the attire, though he was forced to wear it, as a “requirement” to live in Kai’s home. He could live with this humiliation. According to Madara himself, this was geeky, more horrible than Hashirama’s fashion sense. But for Naruto, this was cool.

Sitting on the meadow where grasses tickled his knees, Naruto gazed at the clear sky above. Madara was beside him formulating theories about space-time ninjutsu, writing down his own explanations and probable jutsus on a piece of scroll he laid down on a grass. He had a brush on his hand, writing his own thoughts on it.

Madara was frustrated. He tested each jutsus he had created to no avail. Too bad he didn’t have the Rinnegan now. His Rinnegan allowed him to access the invisible world of limbo. Maybe it could…

Wait….

“_The invisible world of limbo. It was where my shadows were created. Only Sasuke’s Rinnegan could see it while Naruto couldn’t see it but could only sense it through his Six Path’s chakra”._

He looked at the blond who was lost in his own thoughts. Naruto was still gazing above at this point.

“_Indra and Asura, the Sage of the Six Path’s own sons who reincarnated to settle their age old competition. They reincarnated into several different people through their descendants until Indra reincarnated into me during the Warring States’ Period and Asura into Hashirama. The latest reincarnation, Naruto, shouldn’t exist in this time period. He is an anomaly by nature. No two reincarnations can exist at the same time so his presence here is a paradox. If he’s a paradox, then time would fix it by merging two reincarnates together. This didn’t happen. Which means... we are in an alternate dimension. While I died during the end of the war, I wished I wanted to spend time drinking with Hashirama as war buddies. Perhaps it triggered my transfer in here?”_

“What ya looking at?”. Naruto spoke at him.

“I think I now know the answers to our questions”.

“Really?”, Naruto beamed.

“Our situation, we didn’t travel through time. We are in an alternate dimension”.

“Huh? Alternate dimension? You mean… “

“Exactly”, Madara confirmed. “We aren’t in the past. If we did, the present you know, the future, has already changed. You had told me that you were the latest reincarnate of Asura. The same goes with Hashirama. The transmigration cycle wouldn’t continue when one reincarnate is alive while the other is dead. Both reincarnates should be dead for the transmigration to occur. If this is your standard time travel, then your presence here is a contradiction, an anomaly. Two reincarnates of one person shouldn’t exist at the same time. It would be a paradox. To cure such anomaly, time would fix it by merging the abnormal existence to the current existence together to prevent further distortion.”.

Naruto only displayed a blank face, indicating he didn’t understand. He just had this pouty lips and a look of pure disappointment, prompting Madara to smirk.

“I forgot….that you’re such an idiot”. Madara rolled the scroll, putting it inside the pouch on his back alongside with his brush. He had a belt that he wore, having three pouches attached to his back. He still wore the green jumpsuit and orange warmers, a small price to pay for staying into this place.

It took a few moments for Naruto to register those words before he tackled the elder Uchiha on the ground.

“I’m not an idiot”.

“If you’re not, then you’d understand my explanation better. I wonder how you became a shinobi with that stupidity of yours”.

“You little… “.

Madara pushed Naruto where they began brawling on the ground. If anyone were to see them at their current predicament, it would be Kai.

“Oh, the power of youth. You’re fully adjusting well my friends”. He cried, streams of tears falling on his face.

Both ignored him, focused on brawling.

“Let me join you, my friends. Let’s celebrate the power of youth!”. Kai joined in on their brawling. Instead of two, it became three.

Birds flew above, their sounds echoing below. It seemed to form words into aho, aho. 

* * *

When news reached Tobirama that Madara vanished alongside with his companion, his suspicions proved true that they were up to something. Mito came to him early this morning, sharing her husband’s discoveries of this mysterious blond. She handed him the forehead protector. Still on his hands, it clearly engraved the Konoha symbol. Tobirama might not know all of Konoha’s shinobi but he was certain that this blond wasn’t even registered. He hadn’t even encountered him before. The mystery here was the forehead protector. It was obvious that it had been used multiple times so pretending to be a Konoha shinobi was out of the window. There were scratches on its metal, confirming his suspicions that the blond was at war. He clearly remembered those tattered clothes as well.

He was on his home, reading his anbu’s reports. There were no traces of the blond’s existence in the outskirts of the Land of Fire. So this had only one meaning. He came from outside the borders. Which country or small town he didn’t know. He’d do everything to protect Konoha. He couldn’t sense Madara’s chakra or the blond’s either, proving that the latter was good at concealing it. He was indeed dangerous albeit with a small amount of idiocy or just plain acting. He was a good actor. He wouldn’t be deceived.

Tomorrow, he’ll depart Konoha alongside with the Anbu. He needed to protect the village afterall. Hashirama could manage the village without him.

* * *

Dirt tainted their faces as the three of them plowed the fields together. Madara couldn’t believe that he would be reduced to a mere farmhand. Who was he to complain? He had free food, free shelter in exchange of this horrendous outfit and some menial work. He planted rice on the fields, his legs soaked on the mud he was treading at.

Naruto and Kai were singing a tune to themselves, occasionally throwing mud at each other for enjoyment. The rest of Kai’s clansmen sang while planting some watermelons, doing the same thing as what Kai and Naruto were doing. Laughs filled the air. They were clearly enjoying this.

From the look on Kai’s clansmen, they had the posture and battle experience, a requirement for being a shinobi. Still, he didn’t understand why they chose to remain in their farms working. Or maybe they just want some peace. Madara pushed these thoughts away from his head, continuously planting the rice seedlings in the mud.

He dodged the ball of mud Naruto threw at him by tilting his head to his left. Twitching at this, he threw a lump of mud at Naruto, hitting him square on on his face. Kai laughed, when Madara hurled another lump of mud on him. The Uchiha then felt a sticky sensation on his hair. He looked behind him, it was one of Kai’s clansmen smiling. They threw mud at him. When he was about to enact his revenge, he was hit on his cheek by the laughing Naruto. Madara remained calm, planting the remaining rice seedlings in the mud then getting another on his side. Both of his hands were now filled with lumps of mud where he hurled it towards the blond. Another normal day for them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hashirama is finally suspicious. What's in store to our resident protagonists? Tune in for more chapters.


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally I'm updating. I don't have the motivation but seeing my hits skyrocketing, I couldn't help but update. Thanks for the support.

The house was just made of fully furnished wood. Walls are wooden, a stereotypical ancient house. It was the place where Madara and Naruto currently stayed. Their room was simple, lots of space, a table on the center with two futons on the side. Their only source of light was a single piece of illuminated candle that was put on the table.

The candles wax pooled on its base. Madara was deeply in thought, scribbling his theories on a piece of scroll.

He wrote theory by theory his explanation. If this was some standard time travel, then Naruto’s presence was a contradiction. Time would fix its distortion by fusing the abnormal existence to the current existence to stabilise time flow. Though, this didn’t happen. The anomaly, which was Naruto, still continued to exist in physical form.

Tapping his head, Madara pondered how in the world was he here. For instance, his future self, was merged into his past self. Then, this is time travel. On the other hand, Naruto, he is a reincarnate of Asura. Hashirama is one, too. Naruto’s presence is an anomaly, a contradiction. He shouldn’t exist in this time period. If this is the standard time travel, then Naruto would merge with Hashirama. That didn’t happen.

The Uchiha drummed his fingers on the desk in frustration. Space time ninjutsu was indeed tricky. If Tobirama…

No, he shook his head. He won’t ask for help on that man. What’s more, there will be questions. He hated this. It seems everything is hopeless.

Madara hated that green jumpsuit and orange warmers. He was wearing his high collared clothing, a usual fashion in the Uchiha clan along with some black pants. He glanced at the blond at the window gazing at the moon, hands on face, mouth pouting, having this look of homesickness on face. He was still wearing the green jumpsuit and orange warmers. He couldn’t help but think that Naruto had worse fashion sense than Hashirama.

“Say Madara”, Naruto began to speak, when he felt the Uchiha’s eyes on him. “Would I still be able to go home?”

“That I do not know”. He averted his gaze towards Naruto, staring in once again at his scribbles.

“I’m tired of hiding, tired of pretending nothing’s wrong. Konoha is my home yet I feel I’m an outsider”. The blond still continued to gaze at the moon, remembering his fight with Kaguya. He wondered what was going on with Sasuke. He was worried about Kurama. The fox hadn’t even awakened. It seemed it expelled a lot of chakra during his fight with Sasuke. Last he checked, Kurama was still asleep. The chakra of the bijuus inside him were also dormant as well.

“It’s natural you felt that way as this wasn’t your time period at all. Everything you used to know is different. Your friends don’t exist, they weren’t even born yet”. Madara’s words seemed harsh but that was the truth.

Naruto moved away from the window where he sat beside Madara. He read the Uchiha’s theories regarding time travel and alternate dimensions. It made his head ache.

“A while back, you told me that I shouldn’t exist in this time period because I’m also a reincarnate of Asura the same with Old Man First. As I’m animal… anomil”

“Anomaly”

“Yeah that, I’m an anomaly, I should be merged with Old Man First, but that didn’t happen. Super Gramps said that when one reincarnate dies and their fellow reincarnate is still alive, the cycle of reincarnation won’t still continue, dattebayo. Both must die for the transmigration cycle to occur”.

Madara smirked, leading Naruto to quirk an eyebrow at him. 

“Your thick skull had its uses after all”.

“I’m not stupid!”, Naruto exclaimed. “I’m being serious here”.

“I know”.

“But still, I wonder. Is this some sort of time travel? Or just dimensional hopping, dattebayo?”. Naruto put a finger on his chin, reading Madara’s theories.

Naruto had been spending more time with him. The blond had become smarter a little, not that he would admit it out loud. He was still stupid in some ways but grasping this ‘_complicated_’ thought was something he didn’t expect of Naruto.

“Basing on my first theory, I myself came from the future. I somehow merged with my past self which in the essence time’s way of curing distortion. There should be no two Madaras that should exist, which is why the more dominant one, was retained. You on the other hand, required an explanation. Your presence here is still an anomaly. Time would normally fix its distortion by merging the abnormal existence to the normal one. You are a reincarnate of Asura, the same goes with Hashirama. No two reincarnates should exist in one time period”. Madara was getting frustrated now. He glanced at Naruto who was also deep in thought.

His eyes were serious, then it lit up. “Because I’m not Old Man First, that’s what”

Something clicked inside Madara but not sure what it was. The blond began to ramble on.

“Indra and Asura began their reincarnation processes through their descendants. That doesn’t mean their souls were being transported. It was just their chakra. If this is your normal reincarnation, then I would have memories of Old Man First, dattebayo. We don’t share the same souls, only the same chakra, that’s why we didn’t merge. If past me was born in this period, then future me came back to the past, then future me would merge with past me as I’m the more dominant and more powerful one, dattebayo”. Naruto explained.

‘Different people but the same chakra. Not sharing the same soul. So it means… "

Madara realized. “That’s it. You’re a genius”. 

Madara scribbled on to his scroll. This would be easier now that everything had been figured out. Hashirama and Naruto were different people. They only shared the same chakra which was the reason why they didn’t merge. Sure, no two reincarnates would exist in time period but the meaning of reincarnate here was just the same chakra, not the same soul, so meaning, Naruto wasn’t bound by the rules of time. He was an exception to the rule. He is a traveler, which means his presence here would change the future. That could pose another problem as Black Zetsu is their target. Madara knew that if he didn’t declare the Fourth Shinobi World War, then the world’s five nations wouldn’t unite against him. But another thought came into his head. 

“I still wonder, dattebayo. Old Man First and I are both different people. Surely in this period Kurama and the others still exist. They should have merged with their past selves right now”.

“Kurama?”

“The kyuubi”.

Surprising, the bijuu had names. No, Madara shook his head on that. It was surprising that those beasts had names. For Madara, they were just forces of nature, mindless, leading for one Uchiha to control him. Now, another problem posed. If Naruto wasn’t bound by time’s laws, then how come did the bijuu still retain their own identity? Naruto hadn’t spoken of the kyuubi to him.

“That kyu… Kurama, how is it?”, Madara asked. Their current situation had become troublesome. He felt like a Nara at this moment, speaking their trademark word.

Naruto was surprised at the sudden question. He glanced onto his belly then back at the Uchiha. He put right hand over his abdomen. “Kurama hasn’t been awake yet. He expended more chakra than I thought. That bastard absorbed most of his chakra. The remaining one he gave me during our final fight. When we clashed our strongest attacks together, I just found myself here”, Naruto explained, indicating the current timeline.

‘_The jinchuuriki had changed a lot_’. “Which means you tore apart space time itself. I have no other things to think about. Why don’t we replicate what did you do with Sasuke to see if we find ourselves in another timeline once again?”. This was not a bad idea. This could work.

“Are you trying to get me killed?”.

“We have no choice but to try. Instead of dilly dallying here, we must leave tonight. Aren’t you the one who was so desperate to return to his own timeline? Oh, I’ve forgotten. If this is indeed time travel and not just some alternate dimension hopping, then the future you came from, your present, had already changed”.

Naruto stilled. The lit candle on their table finally went out. They didn’t notice how much time had passed spent from their talking.

Still, determination crossed Naruto. He’s not one to give up. “It doesn’t matter. We wouldn’t know unless we try”.

Only the moon illuminated their features now. It was dark, pitch black but Madara could still make out Naruto’s fierce determination. “I count that as a yes”.

* * *

“You’re leaving now?”, Kai asked. He wasn’t prepared for this.

“We’re extremely thankful for all the kindness you’ve showed to us so far”. Madara appreciated all the kindness that this clan had shown them, even when there were eccentric acts so far.

“Thank you very much, dattebayo”. The blond bowed.

Kai wept, tears on his face but was still happy for his friends. He embraced Naruto and Madara, then letting them go.

The duo left Konoha to hatch their plan.

* * *

Tomorrow had not arrived when Tobirama and his Anbu prepared for their departure. Jumping through the trees, he was determined to learn of the blond’s origins. No one had known of his existence, he just appeared out of the blue. Worse of all, Madara knew of him. They were close.   
Someone with that enormous amount of chakra was a real threat. It was the same with his brother’s albeit with minor differences. He couldn’t even trace what clan did the blond come from. Heading towards the outside of the Land of Fire, they stopped for a short while having rest for the night.

* * *

The sounds of animals were their only companions when they jumped from tree to tree, heading towards the Valley of the End. The sounds of their shoes hitting each trunk filled the air. It was a full moon when Naruto once again looked above. It reminded him of the Infinite Tsukuyomi back home.

Madara knew a lot of secret paths in Konoha. The blond was amazed no one had detected them so far. It didn’t take them long to reach the Valley. There were no waterfalls indicating it hasn’t been formed yet. The both of them settled down, with Naruto and Madara putting their backpacks on the ground.

“So you know what to do”, Madara broke the silence after their nonstop jumping while they head towards their destination.

The Uchiha brought some considerable distance towards them where he summoned his Susanoo. A full body Susanoo. Naruto only gaped.

* * *

Tobirama was almost asleep when he was alerted by a change of surroundings. A thick, heavy chakra permeated the air which made him open his eyes, disturbed from his slumber.

He knew this chakra, it was Madara’s. It came from somewhere in the East. The Anbu were also alert. No time for wasted words, they all took off.

* * *

Naruto evaded each attack of the Susanoo’s giant sword. A simple smash of the sword alone caused massive craters on the ground where he was standing at.

“Are you insane? I don’t have enough chakra to block that attack of yours!”, Naruto yelled.

Inside his Susanoo, Madara only crossed his arms as a sign of impatience. “I thought you wanted to return home desperately”.

“Yeah but I can’t match that… not as of the moment”.

“Then charge whatever you have in your arsenal to match my swings. I dislike going all out but if this will be our solution to our problems, I won’t hesitate to do so”.

Naruto sighed. He still had chakra, Kurama’s remaining chakra inside him. Putting his hands in a praying position, he closed his eyes. He glowed with orange light, his eyes manifested that cross sign, a symbol of his Six Paths Sage Mode.

Naruto invoked Kurama’s chakra construct, minus two shadow clones which he formed into a three-faced six arm construct when he fought against Sasuke.

“You still have what it takes to fight me if this would be a real battle”, Madara commented.

“Shut up. Let’s finish this at once”.

Both charged, Susanoo vs. Naruto’s construct. There was a massive crater that formed beneath the constructs’ feet. A bright light ensued, leading to both of them disappearing. The backpacks were the only indicators that they had gone into the place, buried among the rubble caused by their mock clash.

Madara groaned in pain when he felt ground brushed his back. Did it work somehow? He opened his eyes and saw that they were inside some house whatever it was. He recognised it, this was the Naka Shrine. Yes, it did work. The blond beside also groaned in pain, lying face flat on the floor.

“Your stupid plan actually worked”, he mumbled on the floor. Naruto slowly got up, on all floors before sitting down, rubbing his head. “This hurts like hell, dattebayo. Where are we?”

“We’re in the Naka Shrine so to speak. It’s just a mystery why we ended up in this place”. The Uchiha got up despite pain coursing through his body. Sitting on the floor, he pondered which time period did they land at. Or did they return.

“Naka Shrine?”

“A place of importance amongst the Uchiha. Let’s not dwell on that”. Madara got up while Naruto was still sprawled on the floor groaning in pain.

“Help me out here, dattebayo”.

“You’re a shinobi. You can do that on your own”.

“You wouldn't be able to do your stupid plan if it were not for me”, Naruto yelled, eyes bulging. 

Madara’s eye twitched. “Just this once”. He held Naruto’s arm, helping him stand up. It was a quick process to do so.

The blond dusted himself. Naruto surveyed the ceiling of the Naka Shrine. It had Uchiha symbols on it.

“I can sense everyone’s chakra. Even Obito’s. Which means… “

“We’re in the middle of the Fourth Shinobi World War”, Madara confirmed.

“Yeah, time didn’t change. We’re in another dimension which means my present won’t change”, Naruto said happily. “Now, I’m just going to tear that bastard’s face off”.

“Fortune seemed to smile on you today. I still haven’t figured out why this happened”, Madara said dryly, referring to their current situation. He crossed his arms, deep in thought.

Strongest attacks created a tear in space time… But he died first and he found himself in his old body in Konoha for no reason. Still….

“I would not call it fortune if I were you”. A voice interrupted them, which made Naruto and Madara nearly jump in surprise.

An Edo Tensei Tobirama, along with the other deceased kage staring right back at them. On the other side was Orochimaru, Sasuke, Suigetsu and Jugo. It was Tobirama’s voice that interrupted them.

Madara only realized they appeared in the center of two sides. The Edo Tensei kage and the one with the Uchiha brat.

“Your conversation is interesting to say the least”.

“Tobirama”, Madara muttered.

Naruto, worried there might be a fight, put his hands on the air. “Look, look, I can explain. We don’t mean harm. We were just testing something and we didn’t expect it would work”.

“Madara”, Hashirama called. “You’re different. This alternate dimension thing… You’re a different Madara. Surely you could"

“Anija, that doesn’t mean”

“Enough”, Madara snapped. “I didn’t come here to argue with any of you or fight with you or conquer the world. I have a different purpose along with Naruto”.

“I know you are not”, Minato swallowed. Surprise still evident on his face, disbelief that his son, whatever version, was working with a notorious enemy.

“Dad, I can explain. This Madara isn’t bad. I hate to admit it but we are friends”. He scratched his head sheepishly. Suigetsu only gaped.

“Who told you that we are friends?”, Madara’s eyes glinted.

“You can’t really admit that out loud, can you”. The blond had this mischievous look on his face.

Madara yanked Naruto through his jumpsuit. “You’re getting comfortable with me”, he hissed.

Naruto did the same thing, albeit he was smirking a look of that challenge on his face.

“Admit it out loud, _fish_”. Naruto emphasised the last word. 

The two brawled on the floor, temporarily forgetting the presence of the others who were watching them. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And now, more trouble arises.


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the late update. My shifts are mostly nights and I can't write that much. Today is my off so I proceeded to do as much writing as possible now.
> 
> I'm so excited about this day's Boruto manga. Things have been heating up lately. The anime had also done its job of hyping me. I'm so filled with excitement I'm getting anxious already.

****

Tobirama and his entourage finally reached the source of Madara’s chakra. Destruction splattered everywhere. Rocks tumbled over, the ground they stood on was a huge crater.

There was a deep divide of the mountain that it looked like each were divided by an earthquake. There was no sign of Madara or his companion. The only clue was this massive destruction they had left on their wake. While Anbu investigated the area looking for clues of whereabouts of Madara or the blond, even just some cadavers, Tobirama took it upon himself to further survey the area by looking through cracks and crevices for some blood splattered.

None. His blue armor made a clack sound as he jumped upwards the divided mountain. The steep was precipitous. One wrong misstep for a normal person would result into their deaths. Tobirama was one skilled shinobi so this is nothing for him.

Reaching the top of the mountain, the sun bled the horizon blue. Its reddish orange sunrise slowly lit up the surroundings, which enabled Tobirama to easily find some clues.

Crouching low on the ground, he put his middle and index finger on the ground, closing his eyes in concentration. Sensing was his ability. It came naturally upon his birth so locating Madara would be no problem.

Residual traces of his and this blond’s chakra permeate the surroundings. It had been a huge battle that it left lingering amounts of it in the air. He was right. The blond was terrifying, his chakra rivals that of this brother’s when it comes to power.

But no traces of two humans which was strange. Crimson eyes finally opened, no trace of chakra. He stood up once more, running down the mountain below. His team of Anbu searched the area, there was no blood or even some discarded weapons.

This was strange. Normally, shinobi would use a sword or some shuriken in battle as part of their strategy to outwit their opponent just to catch them off guard. There was none. Only the clue of a huge battle was the chaotic disarray of their surroundings, a result of Madara’s Susanoo and whatever kind of monstrosity the blond had used to counter attack it.

As Tobirama was walking, he noticed two single backpacks on the ground, trapped under a rock. Its appearance resembled two people trapped under a huge debris.

Disregarding this thought, Tobirama easily slashed through the huge rock with his Raijin. The sound of lightning coming from the sword toasted the dirt that came through when slicing the rock.

Deactivating his weapon, he crouched down, opening down the randomly chosen backpack with no hesitation. It was Madara’s he assumed, evident by several high collared clothes that were kept. Inside the bag were just clothes. He did the same with another and it was filled with these orange warmers and green jumpsuits. 

As peculiar as this situation was, if two shinobi were to fight, they would not have had brought their belongings, only weapons. They were even side by side, indicating that Madara and the blond put it together. They would have planned this whole fiasco in order to escape. This was some brilliant plan, covering their tracks by initiating a devastating battle, then faking their deaths… their true colors had finally showed.

Removing further the contents of the bag, a scroll fell which caught Tobirama’s attention. There were books from the blond’s bag that were obviously children’s stories which left him wondering that there was something wrong in this situation.

“I already found something”, Tobirama told the Anbu. “We have to return to the village”.

“Tobirama-sama”, an Anbu wearing the horse mask caught his attention. He was running towards the Senju. He was carrying Madara’s gunbai which made Tobirama’s eye widen in surprise.

“That’s… “, he muttered.

“I saw it lying around the rubble. We found no corpses of our target, not even a single drop of blood that should have stained the rocks. There’s something wrong with the situation we were at”.

Tobirama already knew that. Another companion sensing the peculiarity of the situation confirmed his suspicions somehow. “As I’ve said earlier, we have to return to the village. Clues gathered here will be discussed upon arrival”.

Nodding to each other, they jumped, leaving their surroundings. They didn’t notice a single bluish tear that was closing in the middle of the crater, which was the only clue to Madara and Naruto’s whereabouts.

* * *

They brawl from time to time which made Madara embarrassed that the Hashirama of this world saw his childish antics, proceeding to laugh like that idiot he was. He clutched his stomach in laughter, laughing with no manners.

The Uchiha was blushing, a sign of his embarrassment that made Naruto laugh at him further. Madara’s eyes flared which made the blond have a bump on his head. He was face down on the floor, cracks under his body as a result of Madara’s punch on his head.

Dusting off his clothing and his hands, Madara stared at the Edo-Tensei Hashirama, then fully stared at this world’s Sasuke. Whatever objective they would like to discuss he had no inclination to listen to. Slumping the blond on his shoulder which made Naruto wiggle, screaming in protest, Madara turned his back on the Edo-Tensei Tobirama which made the younger Senju glare daggers behind him.

“And where do you think you’re going?”. Voice laced with anger which made Hashirama stop his laugh. Hashirama looked at the walking Madara.

“None of your business”. His voice was so nonchalant that made Tobirama widen his eyes. His tone was of a stranger addressing a fellow stranger. Voice monotone, there was no trace of anger nor hatred on it.

At this moment, Naruto broke free of Madara’s hold that he fell down on the floor on his butt. “Don’t do that, bastard”. Madara ignored him.

“As much as this is a good reunion between old friends, we’re not here to linger further. We came here for a reason. Sasuke-kun wants some answers so you ought not to waste his time”. Orochimaru interrupted, smiling maliciously in Naruto’s standards.

The blond glared at him. He was still the same afterall. “Naruto, remember that this isn’t our world. You have your own goals to attend to so leave these people to their own devices”.

Reluctantly, Naruto got up, followed Madara when Tobirama made one stupid mistake that he immediately regretted.

“I deduce that Izuna is still alive in the world where you came from which results in your behavior around me”.

Madara stilled. How dare this man mention it to him, right now? Does this man have a death wish? Never mind, he was dead to begin with. He wasn’t angry, just this strange sensation. He couldn’t find himself he angry. It was just… 

“Tobirama, why mention it now?”, Hashirama hissed.

While it was a mistake on his part, mentioning it was just worse. Madara’s bangs shadowed his eyes as he stilled. He didn’t clench his fists. Suigetsu gulped, well aware of Madara’s reputation as the legendary Uchiha who was the only one who managed to put Hashirama to a standstill during their lifetime. Jugo looked prepared to fight just in case chaos erupts in the Naka Shrine while Sasuke remain unfazed judging by the expression on his face. Minato and Hiruzen waited for the signal when Madara would erupt. But…

Madara laughed. He laughed that they were astounded by his behavior. There was nothing to laugh at. Naruto only stared. Madara laughed so hard that small amounts of tears began to fall from his eyes.

“You’re an idiot Tobirama. Of course he’s dead”, he stared at the man. “You’re the one who killed him in the first place”.

He shook his head, mirth in his tone. Why did he laugh? “You’re not even worthy of my hatred. Why waste my power on some undead like you? I have no inclination to kill you or anything as you are dead to begin with. I am not here to cause further harm. Consider this a blessing that I’ll leave you this vital piece of information. Your real enemy is not my counterpart but a black being that calls himself Black Zetsu. It manipulated my counterpart towards his goal which is the Infinite Tsukuyomi, a powerful genjutsu that will entrap the whole world. Black Zetsu will use this opportunity to revive a being called Otsutsuki Kaguya, the Progenitor of chakra”.

“Madara, you… “, Hashirama muttered. "Why... Why tell us? I still don't understand. I have a..." 

“Save your breath. I don't have plans to answer your questions. What help I gave you is just once. Consider it a debt you can’t repay, Hashirama”, Madara smiled. “I have no business with any of you. Just let this Sasuke ask his questions and find the answers he was looking for”. He walked past Orochimaru, raising his right hand in a wave then swiftly putting it down. 

Before leaving, Naruto smiled at Minato, turned to follow Madara until they were no more from their sight.

“Now that they’re gone, shall we proceed?”. Orochimaru grinned.

* * *

He didn’t immediately tell his brother of this bizarre situation, as he knew Hashirama would rush towards the site with no hesitation. He needed to defend the village, not to go after his friend and search him.   
He only told Hashirama of his revised version that there were no traces of Madara and his companion, only vanishing into thin air.

Obviously, his brother was at disbelief but let it go. Again he reminded Hashirama of his role and to leave everything to him, which made Hashirama reluctantly agree. 

At the confines of his home, in his room with tea on the table, wearing only a white yukata, he opened the scroll. There were theories of reincarnation. The story of Indra and Asura in complete detail, how their chakra transmigrated throughout their descendants to continue this endless battle.

His crimson eyes scanned the words written until he came into one final interesting piece.

** _“Indra and Asura, Hashirama and I, Naruto and Sasuke. All reincarnates of the two brothers. No two reincarnates would exist on the same time period as they have the same souls. But Naruto does not share the same soul with Hashirama, meaning they are different people, which was already obvious to begin with. As this is another timeline, then Naruto’s present wouldn’t change”_ **

Naruto? Was that the name of Madara’s companion? What in the world was going on? He skimmed through the scroll again. They were all notes about time travel, jutsus to travel through time. His Flying Raijin was even present, detailing its potential use through time travel but one would require lots of chakra.

Time travel…. The blond carried with him children’s stories of time travel. Could it be that the sudden change in Madara’s behavior was the result of a Future Madara taking his past self’s place? If so, that explains that this blond, if he was indeed Naruto, came from the future. They were finding ways to return to their own respective time period.

The last piece was a conclusion that they were in an alternate timeline. There were no further additions. But that didn’t explain the battle or was it one? This only made Tobirama realize that they weren’t trying to fake their deaths by initiating a devastating battle. Instead they casted a jutsu to tear apart time. Normally, space-time ninjutsu requires lots of chakra just to teleport. The further they go, the more a user expends their reserves.

In Naruto and Madara’s case, their main target was to leap dimensions, transferring from one timeline to another. But there was something he was missing which he couldn’t put on. Sighing, he noticed a piece of rolled futon on his room which reminded him of the time when Madara slept in his place inebriated.

Flushed, pale, mouth slightly open, he was attractive. His own formal wear that was worn by the Uchiha slightly opened exposing a portion of his….Tobirama’s eyes widened. Why was he thinking like this again? Attributing to it tiredness, he decided to retire for the night.

* * *

Madara and Naruto disguised themselves by checking in to an inn located in the village. A lot of shinobi that was supposed to be stationed were fighting in the Fourth Shinobi War so security level was a little low. There were still shinobi stationed in the village but most were tokubetsu jonin, with the majority genin, guarding the village walls and securing the well being of the citizens.

Naruto was fast asleep when he laid down on the bed while Madara’s thoughts drifted towards the situation they were in. He laughed at Tobirama’s question. He should be angry but he wasn’t. Staring at the ceiling, he suddenly remembered that he wore Tobirama’s clothes which made him jolt up.

“Out of all times why now?”, he muttered. He shook his head, trying vigorously to tuck that memory away as if it was dirt on his head.   
He briefly wondered of the Hashirama in the timeline where he came from and Tobirama….

The one who killed his brother. Surely, the Senju killed his own brother. He loved the dumbfounded look on this world’s Tobirama’s face. He was attractive if he wasn’t dead. Those tattoos on the side of his face was menacing, intimidating. His savage appearance surely befits…

No, no, no. Madara flushed. Why was he thinking like this? Gritting his teeth, he laid back to his bed, forcefully closing his eyes until he fell asleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So yeah, the seeds of attraction. Opposites attract they say. Love truly happens in mysterious ways.

**Author's Note:**

> Updates are sporadic. I'll do my best to update whenever I can.


End file.
